When is a stun gun not a stun gun?

The pedigree of the stun gun is the good old cattle prod.  

But this "touch-to-shock" technology would soon be popular with the military, law enforcement, airlines and even mail carriers.  Ironically, though called a stun gun these devices did not shoot anything,  which is precisely why these institutions were interested: no bullets flying around. 

In the early 1970s, entrepreneurs made the first mass-produced stun guns and marketed them to the public as self-defense weapons.  The technology for stun guns today is still "touch-to-shock."  In other words, for them to work, stun guns must physically contact the subjects.  Stun guns certainly do work, but you must be very close to your target.

Enter,  Thomas A Swift's Electric Rifle, or TASER, whose pedigree is quite different than its stun-gun cousin.  The TASER was named and developed in 1969 by Jack Cover, a NASA researcher. 

The TASER fires two small dart electrodes attached to the gun by wires.  Then, a carefully designed series of electrical pulses brings down the subject long enough for you to flee.  

TASER International is the company that manufactures the TASER today and there are several models.  TASER made the C2 model specifically for Joe and Josephine Q. Public (civilians). It has a range of 15 feet.  

So, when is a stun gun not a stun gun?  Well, when it's a TASER.