Electric shock weapons 2.3 ELECTRIC SHOCK GUNS (STUN GUNS) Electric shock guns deliver the electric shock through direct contact between electrodes and the target individual. Key Technical Features They are either straight or curved. Designs vary, although most have two or four electrodes on the tip. Voltage varies between models, as does the length of the shock delivered. Some electric shock guns feature electrodes hidden under a removable cover or that are incorporated into a flashlight (stun torch). Some models can also spray chemical irritants. Due to their design and purpose, direct contact electric shock weapons carry an unacceptable risk of arbitrary force. Human Rights Concerns These weapons are inherently abusive equipment that facilitates torture and other ill-treatment, including through application of multiple or continuous electric shocks, as well as electric shocks to vulnerable areas of the body such as the head, neck, and genitals. Their use fulfils no legitimate law enforcement purpose that cannot be achieved through less harmful means. Statements and Standards from Human Rights Bodies Examples of Existing Controls UNODC and OHCHR: “there is no tactical utility [in electric shock guns] … that cannot be achieved with another device, and the risk of arbitrary force amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment is too great. As such, their use is not advised.” 78 CPT: has "strong reservations" about the use of electric shock equipment that is in direct contact with the skin, highlighting that law enforcement officials should have other techniques available to them when they are with touching distance of the person who must be brought under control. 79 The EU Anti-Torture Regulation controls the export of this equipment and allows Member States to prohibit the trade. The US CCL controls the export of this equipment. Manufacture should be prohibited. Proposed Control Transfer should be prohibited. Use should be prohibited. 78 UNODC and OHCHR, Resource book on the use of force and firearms in law enforcement, 2017, p. 94 79 CoE: CPT, CPT Standards, “Substantive” sections of the CPT’s General Reports, January 2015, para. 78. 55