How to Use a Stun Gun

If you buy stun guns from us we hope you never have to use them, but if you do, we hope you do a good job. This time around we’ll go over the basics of using a stun gun properly.

To make a stun gun work you need to understand the principles behind its operation. Contrary to what the name might suggest, a stun gun (or stun baton) doesn’t shoot anything or operate at a distance (get a C2 Taser for those capabilities). It’s a close range electroshock weapon. Current passes through two contact points. When pressed against a target, the current passes through it. This causes pain, muscle contractions and disorientation, though the exact effects depend on the area you hit on an attacker as ell as his clothing and specific physiology.

One you buy a stun gun your first job is to get familiar with the weapon. First of all, never touch the contact points, and don’t let the touch anyone or anything you don’t want to hurt. Second, practice testing the stun gun (a visible current will pass between the contacts) to ensure that it’s working properly. Third, learn how to rapidly disengage the safety. Finally, become comfortable carrying it in your hand with the safety engaged. Our cell phone stun guns let you do this without drawing unwelcome attention to yourself. It also gives you the element of surprise so that an attacker won’t pre-emptively disarm you.

When you need to use the stun gun, disengage the safety and press it against the attacker for one to five second – longer if there’s no reaction. Clothing can interfere with a stun gun’s operation and the current needs to pass between points on the attacker’s body, so don’t just lightly touch – push! Don’t “punch” with the stun gun, since it requires some time in contact with the target. A split second impact will have little to no effect.

The most effective targets for a stun gun are nerve clusters on the attacker’s torso. Many people recommend around the upper hip and below the rib cage. Used correctly, a stun gun will have some effect on almost any target area, however, and you can use it on an arm to persuade an attacker to let you go. Some authorities recommend working from the outside in, by using the stun gun to clear a grab before targeting the torso. The attacker may double up in pain, but remember that a stun gun doesn’t cause full paralysis or incapacitation. It gives you time to escape – that’s it. Use it to get away. If anything more severe happens to the attacker, consider that a lucky margin of safety. Count your blessings from a safe location.

The last importance piece of advice is to remember that a stun gun is not a shield! It’s usually not a great idea to wave it around to try and scare away an attacker. This just prepares them to defend themselves against the weapon and may inspire them to escalate the attack with their own weapon. If you feel threatened enough to let your attacker know you have it, you should actually use it.