The Origins of the Stun Gun

For as long as there has been law enforcement there have been non-lethal ways to subdue people. These days one of the devices used to do this is called a stun gun and police aren’t the only ones who carry them. They are used by civilians who want protection from heartless thugs who would attack them. However, the ones that people use today are much different than the first models. In fact, the first version wasn’t even used on people.

If we go back to the late 1800’s we will see that this is when the first electric cattle prod was used. It used a very large battery and worked very well for directing cattle. This idea was simple and it had a lot of potential for development. Maybe it was just a couple of cowboys that were fooling around and zapping each other, or maybe it was just a stroke of genius, but someone got the idea that electricity could be used to get people to comply with orders.

In the 1920’s someone created a device for law enforcement that was based on this idea. However, it was very inconvenient and dangerous. It was a glove that could be worn by an officer and all they would have to do is grab the suspect in order to stun them. It had many wires connected to it that ran to a one pound battery that was to be strapped to the waist. Needless to say, it was never used by any law enforcement.

During the race riots of the 1960’s the police started to use cattle prods on people. They would zap people who were trying to start fights or pushing through barriers. It seemed to work pretty well, but the cattle prod would only deliver localized pain. Police needed something more powerful.

As the 1960’s turned into the 1970’s, the stun gun started to take its shape. A man named Jack Cover developed the first model of what would later become a TASER. Over the decades both the TASER and other stun guns evolved into sleeker models with higher charges of electricity. Now, people and law enforcers have convenient, non-lethal weapons for self defense and subduing criminals.