Civilian "Stun" Guns: Neural or Aural Stimulation?

The effects of electrical "stun guns" for civilian self-defense are incompletely investigated. Advertising often suggests significant central and peripheral nervous system and musculoskeletal effects.We purchased 3 samples of each of the 10 best-selling stun-gun models. We measured their outputs to compare them to relevant requirements of standards for nerve stimulators and for law enforcement electrical weapons.The average charge perm pulse was 0.91 ± 0.75 µC. All delivered less than the minimum 7 µC required for classification as a nerve stimulator. The equivalent utility-frequency outputs were 0.64 ± 0.52 mArms. This is in the range of perception but not pain. The open-air arcing gaps were 7.2 ± 1.5 mm with sharp points to facilitate arcing at low voltages. They correspond to breakdown voltages of 1.13 ± 0.16 kV. We found that as a result of this, the sound pressure levels were extremely high from the arcing across the electrodes (108.1 ± 2.8 dBA).Popular "stun guns" sold for civilian self-defense do not appear to be capable of nerve stimulation but are capable of generating very loud arcing sounds suggesting that the "stunning" effect is primarily aural.^∗