Identification

• Stun guns look very much like the sophisticated and futuristic weaponry on shows like "Star Trek." They are typically blockish in shape with a handle on one end, usually equipped with a non-slip grip. Attached to the handle is a trigger that fires out two metal probes attached to cords that deliver an electrical voltage to these probes. Most stun guns only carry one set of probes, as they are meant to subdue one individual with each use.
  
  

Features

• Inside the stun gun are various transformers and voltage multipliers that are present depending on the make and model of the gun. Every stun gun will have a battery as a power source, though some require more than one battery. Typically, stun guns will have a circuit that will convert the power from the battery into electricity, and the more powerful stun guns will also have a transformer that will increase the voltage of that electricity. Most stun guns create electricity with 200 to 300 kilovolts, but some are created to charge more, up to 1,000 kilovolts.
  
  

Function

• When the trigger on a stun gun is fired, the two metal probes inside of it are fired and attach to the target that it hits. These probes, as mentioned before, are attached to two cords that transfer the electrical current produced in the body of the stun gun to the probes. This electrical current is then sent into the person who has been "shot." The electricity is meant to cause the person to lose control of his muscular system for a short amount of time, which results in muscle spasms that will keep the person from running, attacking or moving with any control.
  
  

Benefits

• The benefits of using a stun gun instead of the other, more traditional weapons are the fact that they are, for the most part, harmless. This is mainly helpful to law enforcement officials, who can use stun guns to take down assailants and criminals without resorting to lethal force. Many police departments have been pushing the use of non-lethal weapons such as stun guns in order to keep police-related deaths to a minimum, while also allowing for the easier capture of dangerous criminals.
  
  

Warning

• Stun guns are not a toy and even though some can be purchased for personal use, they should never be used without supervision. While they are supposed to be a nonlethal weapon, there have been reports of some stun guns causing nervous system damage and even heart attacks. The way a stun gun affects a person is largely based on his size, weight, skin and general health. Most people will only be wounded temporarily by a stun, but in the wrong hands these weapons can cause great harm. Because of this, stun guns are illegal in Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Rhode Island, Wisconsin and most countries in the European Union.