Perhaps one of the most well known personal security products, tasers and stun guns are electroshock weapons used for subduing a person by administering electric shock into their bodies. The electric shock, in turn, may disrupt superficial muscle functions. Before you buy stun guns, be sure you know all the facts about them. It is important to keep in mind that these kinds of personal security products are just to be used in self-defense situations only, and that stun gun laws vary state to state.

Tasers and electroshock guns both fire projectiles that administer the electric shock. Stun guns or stun batons administer the shock by direct contact. The name Taser is actually an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle," named after the science fiction teenage inventor (Tom Swift) by Taser inventor Jack Cover in 1969.

Originally, tasers and stun guns were introduced as a less-lethal alternative weapon by police to subdue feeling, belligerent or potentially dangerous criminal suspects. They were developed in the hopes of reducing officer shootings. Tasers and cheap stun guns are also commonly used for home security and personal safety reasons. They come in many different forms, disguised as umbrellas, flashlights, and other every day objects. Police and military personnel use more complex and sophisticated stun guns, with typically larger ranges.

Average stun guns have a simple design and are about the size of a flashlight. They typically work on ordinary 9-volt batteries. The batteries work to supply electricity to a circuit of various electrical components. Most stun gun models have two pairs of electrodes, consisting of an inner pair and an outer pair. The outer pair are spaced apart so that the current will only flow if an outside conductor is inserted. If the current cannot flow across these electrodes, it in turn flows to the inner pair. An electric current can then leap between them because they are close enough. The moving current then ionizes the air particles in the gap or space, producing a visible spark and loud cracking noise. As a result stun guns also work well as a deterrent (scaring the criminal off) as opposed to simply a self defense weapon.

A temporary high-voltage, low-current electrical discharge is used in electroshock weapon technology, which overrides the body's muscle-triggering mechanisms. Once contacted, the assailant feels great pain. He or she can even be momentarily paralyzed while the electric current is being applied. Because tasers and stun guns give off relatively low electric currents, they must be pushed by high voltage in order to overcome the electrical resistance of the human body.

In light of several studies, a shock enduring a half a second will cause the recipient intense pain and muscle contractors, causing a great startle. Two to three seconds will typically cause the person to become dazed and drop to the ground. Anything over three seconds, and he or she will drop to the ground and become completely disoriented. He or she may stay on the ground for up to 15 minutes.