The most common tool or can be termed as weapons that people largely use are Stun guns and Tasers. With the increase in crime rates, these two tools have proven to be a life savior to women as well as men.
Because these weapons are great to help for self-defense, many people fail to distinguish the two and think of them as the same.
Key Takeaways
- Stun guns require direct contact with the target to deliver an electric shock, while Tasers can be used from a distance by shooting electrified darts.
- Tasers cause neuromuscular incapacitation, temporarily disabling the target, whereas stun guns cause pain and muscle contractions.
- Tasers are more expensive and require a higher level of training than stun guns, making them less accessible for personal use.
Stun Gun v/s Taser
The difference between Stun gun and Taser is that a stun gun is a small and concealable weapon that can camouflage with normal items like cell phones, lipstick, walking cane, flashlight, etc, that can easily fit and is always kept in the bag. Taser, on the other hand, has the shape of a gun that can easily make the bad person take a step back.
A stun gun Is a compact device that can be easily carried every day along with normal kinds of stuff in your purse. Stun guns can easily disguise and look like lipstick or chapstick or even a cane used by aged people for walking.
The main idea behind developing this device is that it can easily knock down the attacker by sending an electric current to his body.
While a taser is just like a stun gun that sends electricity through the body of the attacker and knocks him down in pain.
Inside a taser, there is a compressed gas cartridge that when activated explodes, and throws our two wires containing prongs at their end, which when touch the target’s skin or clothes end up electrifying them.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Stun Gun | Taser |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | A stun gun is a small device found in a shape of a torch. | A taser is found in a shape of a normal gun. |
| Range for shooting | The target should be near the weapon. | The target can be at a far distance. |
| Cost | Stun guns are cheap or affordable. | Tasers are expensive. |
| Concealable | Stun guns can be easily concealed inside a bag or a purse. | Tasers are bulkier and are difficult to conceal. |
| Background check | For getting a stun gun, sometimes background check is done and sometimes doesn’t. | For getting a taser, background checks are always done. |
What is a Stun Gun?
A stun gun is made small in size in a shape of a torch so that anyone can easily carry it in their bag or purse. Because of their unique shape, these guns can easily disguise as lipstick, a flashlight, or a mobile phone.
In stun guns, many tiny prongs are activated inside the weapon, and when you shoot the attacker with it, the prongs inside transfer electricity from the weapon to the body of the attacker and temporarily knock him out with pain.
Even though the current you are sending is pure electricity, it does not permanently damage or hurt anyone but is powerful enough to stun danger so that you can get away from it safely.
The unique shape of stun guns makes it easier to take it out quickly when you sense danger as the attacker won’t imagine you stun him with a flashlight or lipstick.
And its highly concealable nature is the major reason why many people buy it as they can hide it in their pockets and can run late-night errands.
Another great reason for purchasing stun guns is their affordability. While other handy weapons can charge you a bulk, stun guns come as a cost-efficient weapon with a great impact on the prevention of something bad.
As it does not impact the attacker to a great extent, these guns can be easily purchased without facing much inquiry about family or background checks.
What is a Taser?
A taser is a weapon that looks like a normal gun but serves the same purpose as a stun gun. When you hit it shoot the danger or attacker with a taser, it quickly sends an electric current through the prongs to stun the target.
In every taser, there is a gas cartridge created for it to explode for shooting out two prongs containing current. As soon as the prongs touch the skin of the target, it transfers all the current that it has contained to the body of the target and electrifies them.
The impact of the electricity is so strong that it freezes the target which prevents them to move and provides you with an ample amount of time to get away from that person.
Unlike stun guns, taser doesn’t have to touch the target to electrify them. The target can be a few distances away and you can easily knock the danger down if you sense danger.
Tasers provide a longer headstart for running away as it stops the attackers at a distance.
Tasers also have a great feature of laser sights, which helps to shoot exactly at the place you want to. You just need to aim at the target and the rest is done by the taser for you.
The shape of the taser is a great feature that can make the attacker take a step back or even run away as it looks like a gun loaded with bullets.
Instead of pumping electricity into the body of the target, tasers electrify the muscles of the attacker due to which it contracts and the target falls to the ground forcefully.
Main Differences Between Stun Gun and Taser
- A stun gun is a small compatible tool used for self-defense against a target near the radius of the gun, whereas a taser looks like an actual gun and is used for self-defense against an approaching target.
- A stun gun is easily disguised into everyday things we keep in our bags or purse like lipsticks or cellphone, whereas a taser is heavier and bulkier and the shape makes it difficult to disguise.
- Stun guns are available at affordable prices depending on the size whereas, tasers are very expensive.
- For shooting a target with a stun gun, contact must be made, whereas for shooting the target with a taser, it is not necessary to make contact with the target.
- As stun guns do not harm the target permanently, anyone can buy them with no background checks or sometimes few, but while purchasing a taser, background checks are always done as it impacts more than a stun gun.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002914908021139
- https://academic.oup.com/europace/article-abstract/9/7/551/552914
Last Updated : 11 July, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
