Stun Guns And Security

Stun guns have become staples of most law enforcement divisions that use weapons to eliminate immediate threats without inflicting permanent damage. While a bullet to the leg may halt a criminal in his tracks, there are a few problems with indiscriminately firing at fleeing subjects. One, there's no guarantee the officer won't miss and hit the target in a vital organ, thereby killing him. Two, he may end up hitting innocent bystanders.

One reason stun guns are such effective security devices is their target specificity. Only the "conductor" (that is, the body that comes between the two electrodes on a stun gun) will feel the impact of the jolt. Of course, this means that security personnel must actually get close enough to the target to hit him with a stun gun, which isn't always possible, especially if that target is armed with a gun.

The Use of Tasers

Tasers are one alternative that security professionals use to counter the need for close proximity. Some, but not all, Tasers are equipped with projectiles that fire from the gun itself and latch onto the subject from as far away as 20 feet. These electrodes send the same crippling current through the target as ordinary stun guns do, and to that end are just as effective as deterrents.

Any projectile system requires some means of propulsion, of course, and Tasers are no exception. That is why these devices use CO2 cartridges that build pressure behind the projectiles and hurtle them forward at high velocity. The subject never has time to take evasive action, just as he wouldn't have time to dodge a bullet fired from a standard handgun.