Flying Tasers

One popular variation on the conventional stun-gun design is
the Taser gun. Taser guns work the same basic way as ordinary
stun guns, except the two charge electrodes aren't
permanently joined to the housing. Instead, they are
positioned at the ends of long conductive wires, attached to
the gun's electrical circuit. Pulling the trigger breaks open
a compressed gas cartridge inside the gun. The expanding gas
builds pressure behind the electrodes, launching them through
the air, the attached wires trailing behind. (This is the
same basic firing mechanism as in a BB gun.)

The electrodes are affixed with small barbs so that they will
grab onto an attacker's clothing. When the electrodes are
attached, the current travels down the wires into the
attacker, stunning him in the same way as a conventional stun
gun.

The main advantage of this design is that you can stun
attackers from a greater distance (typically 15 to 20 feet /
4 to 6 meters). The disadvantage is that you only get one
shot -- you have to wind up and re-pack the electrode wires,
as well as load a new gas cartridge, each time you fire. Most
Taser models also have ordinary stun-gun electrodes, in case
the Taser electrodes miss the target.

Some Taser guns have a built in shooter-identification
system. When a police officer fires the Taser electrodes, the
gun releases dozens of confetti-sized identification tags.
These tags tell investigators which gun was fired, at what
location. Some Taser guns also have a computer system that
records the time and of every shot.

Tasers are only one way to conduct current over greater
distances. In the next section, we'll look a relatively new
long-range stun weapon that doesn't use any wires at all.