Stun Gun Myths Need To Be Cleared Up

Stun guns are easily the most misunderstood self defense product you can find. For years there have been many myths surrounding stun guns that have kept many people from taking advantage of their powerful protection. Today I want to address some of the most common myths about stun guns so you are better able to make a decision if you choose to purchase one.

The first one I want to address is probably the most common myth that you are going to hear about. That is the myth that stun guns are a deadly weapon. This couldn't be further from the truth. They are known as a less than lethal weapon, meaning they are able to disable an attacker without causing permanent injury or death. The idea they are deadly may come from the fact they operate at very high voltages. When someone sees a stun gun that has 500,000 volts they assume it is deadly because they know an outlet is 120 volts but can kill you.

There is a very good reason why a 500,000 volt zap will not kill you but a 120 volt zap from an outlet will. This is due to the amps behind the volts. A typical home outlet usually will be between 15 and 30 amps. Where as the typical stun gun is normally about 3 milliamps. To put that in perspective, a shock of around 70 milliamps and up can be fatal. So you can easily see that a stun devices does not have enough amps to be able to kill you. The only time such a low amp shock could be fatal is if there is a preexisting heart condition.

The next misconception I want to address is that you can get shocked if the attacker touches you while you are zapping them. Again this is totally false. Even if you are using the most powerful stun device out there you are not going to get shocked if attacker touches you while being zapped. The energy that is going into the attacker is quickly dissipated throughout their body and simply does not have enough power to make the jump back into you.

The last misconception I want to cover is the fact that many people think it is illegal to own a stun device. I cannot say this one is totally false because this does depend on where you live. The majority of locations in the US allow the use of them but there are a few states and towns that do not allow you to own one. And just to make sure you know which those are I will list them for you.

First I'll start with the states where you are not able to own a one. These states are: Massachusetts, Michigan, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin and Rhode Island.

There are also 2 states that have tight restrictions on purchasing a stun gun. These states are Connecticut and Illinois. In these 2 states you need to obtain a permit and there may be other red tape you have to go through to get one.

There are also a few cities that restrict the use of stun guns. These cities are: Annapolis, MD - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Country, MD - Chicago, IL - Washington DC - and Philadelphia, PA.

In some of these cities it is totally illegal to own a stun gun and in others there are restrictions. If you live in any of these areas and want to own a stun gun it is best to check with your local police department first.

Those are a couple of the most common misconceptions about stun guns and I hope this helps you gain a better understanding of them. When it comes down to it, stun guns are a wonderful self defense tools that have proven time and time again to be very effective at stopping an attacker with no permanent damage to that individual.