Stun Gun FAQs

Do you enjoy taking a walk at night? Do you often find yourself in dangerous areas of your city? Whatever the case, owning a stun gun is an effective non-lethal means that you can carry with you at all times.

However, the effectiveness of a stun gun depends on your knowledge and use of it. Read below to learn the benefits, cons, and challenges of owning a stun gun.

All About Stun Guns

There are many myths and facts about stun guns that you may not have realized. In order to properly own and use one, you’ll need to know these facts.

Disrupting the System

The main goal of stun guns is to disrupt the body’s communications system through an attacker’s muscles and nerves. These devices generate a high-voltage, low-amperage electrical charge, which means there’s a lot of pressure with not as much intensity.

The charge of a stun gun combines with the electrical signals of an attacker’s brain, making muscle control almost impossible and even leading to confusion or temporary paralysis.

The effectiveness of a stun gun depends on the model, the attacker’s body size, and how long the gun is pressed to the attacker.

Voltage vs Amps

When you begin looking for a stun gun to purchase, you’ll find that a common factor is the amount of voltage each stun gun is able to generate. It’s understandable to assume that the higher the voltage, the more effective the stun gun will be, and many brands use this belief as marketing leverage. This is a myth.

Although a higher voltage does make a difference in how quickly the electrical current is delivered, the amperage of a stun gun is what really makes it effective. An amperage of one is enough to kill a person. With stun gun devices, amps are measured in thousandths of an amp, or milliamps.

You’ll want a stun gun that can deliver between three to four milliamps. Stun guns that generate as little as 200,000 volts can leave a man disabled for up to 30 minutes.

How to Use a Stun Gun

Stun guns don’t work like the movies—simply touching or tapping a person with the electrical current won’t be guaranteed to disable them. For stun guns to be truly effective, you’ll need to target large or sensitive muscle groups. Then, it’s necessary to consistently hold the device to that muscle group for three to five seconds.

Ideally, you’ll want to target bare skin in these areas:

• Neck
• Shoulder
• Underarm
• Groin
• Belly

However, there’s often no time to think during close-range attacks. If there isn’t a location that’s obvious and easy to reach, focus on hitting any part of the attacker that you can and holding the stun gun against them for as long as you can.

Many women opt to carry stun guns in their purses. If this is the case, consider buying a large stun gun that makes it easy to reach in and grab. A smaller stun gun will be harder to locate and grab, especially if you typically have a larger purse.

Disadvantages of Stun Guns

Stun guns aren’t foolproof. Because it incapacitates people through pain, it will be less effective against people who have a high tolerance to pain, such as those under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Using a stun gun in these instances may cause them to become more aggressive in retaliation.

Although stun guns are typically marketed for women, there’s also a chance that an attacker will physically overpower the woman and use the stun gun against her. There are models that come with wrist straps that can disable the device when the strap is pulled out, but it’s important to try and escape an attacker first.

When escaping isn’t possible, then using a stun gun, and having a backup option like pepper spray is smart.

Advantages of Stun Guns

The fact that stun guns are designed to be non-lethal and won’t cause long term damage to an attacker is a major advantage. They’re legal in many states and typically don’t require permits.

Stun guns also come in a variety of shapes and sizes for an extra element of surprise. This also makes it easy to carry with you. Mini stun guns are available that make it even easier to transport. There are also stun guns available in the shape of:

• Cell phones
• Flashlights
• Pens
• Batons

Moreover, they require less accuracy compared to other self-defense items. This is important for close encounters when there isn’t time to properly aim or find a vulnerable spot.

Non-Lethal Self-Defense

Choosing a non-lethal self-defense option like a stun gun has many advantages. There’s the normal human component of knowing that you’re not inflicting permanent damage on another person, even if they’re your attacker. This makes it far less likely that you’ll hesitate when you need to protect yourself.

However, in order to fully experience all the advantages a stun gun provides, you’ll need to know how to use it properly. They need to be held against your attacker’s skin for a few seconds, increasing the chance that they’ll disable you and use the stun gun against you.

Are you ready to defend yourself through these powerful electrical devices? Check out our robust selection of stun guns today!

If you are not sure if one of our items would be considered a weapon, you can contact us by email at customerservice@thecoverteye.com or call our office at (602) 734-5345.