How Stun Guns Work

• A stun gun is equipped with a high-voltage current which is administered through a palm-sized device. It works by being applied to the body of an attacker. The current flows through the stun gun into the attacker's body and through the nervous system. The high voltage causes a depletion of blood sugar by converting it into lactic acid. The attacker is temporarily unable to control voluntary movement of his body.
  
  

Electrical Signals to the Brain

• The stun gun need not be applied to the attacker's head to do its work. The brain and body are connected by a widespread nervous system. Therefore, once the stun gun is applied to the body and the electrical current reaches a nerve, the impulse travels to the brain through that nerve. On an extremely heavy attacker weighing 250 pounds or more, the stun gun may require a longer period to work because of the additional distance the electrical current must travel to the brain.
  
  

Involuntary Muscle Contraction

• Along with sending a high level of electrical current through the body and into the brain, a stun gun causes rapid, repeated involuntary muscle contractions. This effectively immobilizes the attacker. The effect can last up to several minutes, which should be long enough for the potential victim to escape the scene.
  
  

Stun Guns vs. Tasers

• A stun gun is different from a Taser in that the Taser can be used from a distance of up to 15 feet. A Taser shoots prongs which lodge into the attacker's clothing or skin through which the electric current is conducted. A stun gun administers its current directly, and therefore must be used within arm's reach of the victim.
  
  

Misconceptions

• A widely quoted figure attributes 70 deaths to stun guns and Tasers in North America between 1999 and 2003. However, in none of these cases were stun guns or Tasers found to be the primary cause of death. Instead, these unfortunate victims were often highly intoxicated with alcohol or cocaine, which caused increased heart rate.
  
  It is impossible for the user of a stun gun or Taser to be shocked by the attacker touching her. The current does not run in reverse, nor does it travel through several bodies. The only way a user could be shocked is by accidentally applying the shock to herself.