Should a stun gun have been used on Daunte Wright? Experts weigh in On Location: April 15, 2021 Replay Video UP NEXT Stun guns -- less lethal use-of-force electroshock weapons that use up to 50,000 volts of electricity to temporarily incapacitate and immobilize targets -- are widely used by police departments around the country. Today, more than 18,000 police and military agencies across the nation use them and a National Institute of Justice report stated stun guns reduce suspect and officer injuries. However, they have still drawn scrutiny -- linked to 1,081 deaths in the U.S., nearly all since the weapons became widely used in the early 2000s, according to a 2018 Reuters report.