| Stun guns belong to a class of weapons known as | | | | few years. |
| non-lethal weapons. This means that you can use a | | | | Officials in the United States Marine Corps have |
| stun gun to defend yourself without risking that a | | | | expressed strong interest in sweeping stun guns for |
| shot from your hands can end in manslaughter or | | | | potential use in crowd control situations. However, |
| accidental homicide. Stun guns are often used to | | | | there has been a lot of controversy about these |
| neutralize threatening animals without killing them. | | | | weapons. Because the technology is so new, there |
| Although getting shot with a stun gun is certainly | | | | have not yet been extensive tests about the long |
| painful and unpleasant, it is not fatal so long as the | | | | term effects of the guns. Until long range studies |
| shooter is trained and uses the gun correctly, which | | | | have been completed, there is no way to tell |
| makes stun guns popular with officials like policemen | | | | whether sweeping stun guns are truly non-lethal or |
| and military personnel outside of combat situations. | | | | not. Some experts argue that the powerful electric |
| For many years, stun guns have also been widely | | | | charge of a shot from a sweeping stun gun may |
| used by average civilians who want to defend | | | | cause permanent damage that can develop into |
| themselves without the burden of potentially ending | | | | serious health problems down the road. |
| the life of an attacker. | | | | For now, officials and civilians will continue to use |
| Stun guns have traditionally worked like regular | | | | single target stun guns for defense purposes. The |
| handguns in that they target only one person at a | | | | fact that the stun guns available today are only |
| time. However, recent scientific advances have led to | | | | useful over short distances is both a blessing and a |
| the creation of what are known as sweeping stun | | | | curse. One disadvantage is that this fact limits the |
| guns. These weapons emit a sweeping ray of | | | | kinds of situations that stun guns can be used in. |
| electricity that can potentially neutralize a large crowd | | | | However, the fact that these guns work only at |
| of people at a far distance from the shooter with | | | | close range also means that it is possible to have a |
| only a single press of a button. Although sweeping | | | | great amount of control over where their powerful |
| stun guns may sound like they have sprung from the | | | | electric currents hit. This enables precise shooting, and |
| pages of a science fiction novel, these guns are being | | | | helps stun gun users avoid mistakenly hitting the |
| developed so rapidly that they may be available for | | | | wrong target. |
| sale to government organizations in a matter of a | | | | |