The stun gun is a type of weapon that is not used to harm, but only to temporarily and effectively incapacitate the attacker. However, in some cases the stun gun can lead to disability and even death. Check how the stun gun works and when it poses a threat to he alth and life.

Stun gunis a type of weapon that, theoretically, should be used to temporarily and effectively incapacitate an attacker. However, in some cases it can lead to disability and even death. This risk increases, inter alia, in people with heart valves, circulatory system or under the influence of alcohol. However, even he althy people are at risk if the stun gun is misused. For this reason, in the United States and Canada, stun guns are not treated as an ordinary paralyzing agent, but classified as a "lethal weapon", i.e. a weapon whose use may result in death.

Stun gun - how does it work?

The most important part of the stun gun are the circuits with transformers. This is where the electricity comes from the battery (usually 9V). Thanks to them, the circuits generate high voltage current - from 20 thousand. up to 500,000 V, but with a very low, not lasting harm to he alth, intensity, which is usually a few thousandths of an ampere. This current is directed to the head from which metal pins protrude - the ends of the electrical circuit. It is between them that electric current flows. When you put them on the body and pull the trigger, a painful electrical impulse is sent to the body, which confuses the body - it drowns out nerve signals and paralyzes the muscles. This is because the human body, which is mostly water, is a good conductor of electricity. When you put the pins on the body, the electric circuit is closed and you get an electric shock.

Stun gun - when does it pose a threat to he alth and life?

The effect with which the stun gun works depends primarily on the value of electricity and the duration of its operation:

  • 1 second - a short shock, muscle spasm and fear to act as a deterrent;
  • 1-3 seconds ("half hit") - bewilderment, psychological shock and a fall, after which the attacker will be able to get up immediately;
  • 4-5 seconds ("full hit") - lossorientation, paralysis of the muscular-nervous system, leading to collapse. The attacker will be able to get up after a few minutes;

Using a stun gun for more than 5 seconds is a he alth hazard and increases the risk of death.

Stun guns that generate a current of over 10 mA (milliamps, i.e. one hundredth of an ampere) pose a particular threat to he alth and life. These types of stun guns are the so-called tasers, which are equipped by uniformed services all over the world (in Poland, even the Railroad Guards, fishing and hunting guards, forest rangers). Tasers work not only at close range, but also at a distance. After pressing the trigger, the gas under pressure is released from the taser, which causes the launch of a pair of electrodes connected to the stun gun with thin wires about 5 meters long, which end with hooks hammering into the body. This type of device also has a second pair of permanently fixed electrodes, so that you can defend yourself with them like an ordinary stun gun.

Important

The stun gun can kill you!

Stun guns are especially dangerous for people:

  • with electric pacemaker and heart valve (a stun gun may interfere with the operation of these devices);
  • cardiological, respiratory and metabolic problems;
  • with epilepsy;
  • slim (due to the thin body fat that insulates the electric impulse);
  • under the influence of alcohol, drugs or certain medications;
  • with a weakened or undeveloped immune system (e.g. children, the sick, the elderly);
  • with hypertension. In Poland, there are over 10 million people suffering from arterial hypertension, who, based on the research carried out, are at a high risk of death in the case of using electric stun guns;

The danger of stun guns is confirmed by Amnesty International's report on the safe use of stun guns. Specialists analyzed information on 98 people who died as a result of the use of tasers. In a few cases, the taser has resulted in death because it was used on a person in poor he alth. For example, a doctor in a car had an epilepsy attack and crashed the car. When the police stopped him, he was semiconscious, therefore he did not follow the instructions of the officers. In response, they shocked him with a taser several times. The man died.

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