A cattle prod and a stun gun are devices that operate similarly but these are two different devices. By definition, a cattle prod is an electrical device intended to be used by those people who take care of cattle. When this device is used on animals, they often move immediately to another place which makes it easier for an individual to let the animals transfer from a particular area to another. But when talking about a stun gun, it refers to a small handheld electrical device that is designed and created for self-defense and protection. When this device is used on an attacker, it actually immobilizes an individual, interrupts the communication between the brain and body and makes him/her unconscious. This is basically because of the huge amount of electricity released by the device into the body.
Both devices basically use electricity to operate or to fulfill their purposes. In the event that an animal or a person gets in between the two electrodes, that’s when they receive the electric shock from the device. But when it comes to the appearance of these devices, that’s when you can immediately recognize the difference. Most of the time, the cattle prod has a shape of long rods while a stun gun is just about a size of a bulky cell phone. This means that it is easier to identify a cattle prod from the other device. Stun guns come in a large variety of forms and shapes which make them not so obvious. A stun gun is similar to the form of a flashlight or a cell phone. So when you carry such a device, people will not easily identify that you have a stun gun.
Although a cattle prod is indented for to herd cattle, there are people who have been using this device to handle other animals, particularly the bigger ones. But it is also said that cattle prods are often used by torturers. Stun guns on the other hand are being used by police officers and cops to deal with protesters and rioters. In this way, they can make sure that those people will not really get hurt when they need to be arrested because the effect of the device will eventually wear off after a certain period of time. Although they can become unconscious or they can be immobilized when stunned, the electric shock from device will not cause anything serious to them as well as to their internal organs, it is completely safe.
Whatever device for self-defense or protection that you want to consider, it is all up to you. You can even use real guns or knives to keep yourself safe but there is a big tendency that you might kill somebody. So it is best for you to consider a device or a product that can effectively be used for you safety and protection without really harming anyone. You can also look into those that are really intended for self-defense and not for other purposes. This is the main reason why stun guns, pepper sprays, tasers and other devices were developed by well renowned manufactures in the industry.