Original Article Jul 17, 2:22 PM EDT Tasers at a glance How Tasers work, according to officials at Arizona-based Taser International: A Taser temporarily immobilizes a person by using pulsing electricity to over-stimulate the nervous system, which locks up muscles while the current is flowing. The guns shoot two fishhook-like electric darts about 25 feet. Each time the trigger is pulled, the darts deliver a 50,000-volt jolt for 5 full seconds. The triggers can be activated as many times as needed for the life of the gun's battery. Following each 5-second jolt, people who are shocked generally regain all muscle control. Tasers can also be used like cattle prods, but the effect is more isolated and less painful. By the numbers: - Tasers emit 50,000 volts of electricity, or 0.36 joule per second. By comparison, a defibrillator, which shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm, emits 200 to 400 joules per second. - 7,300 law enforcement agencies and military installations around the world use Tasers. - 130,000 Taser guns are being used by law enforcement in the United States. - An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people have been shocked by Tasers during law enforcement confrontations since the device hit the market in 1998. - 100,000 civilians own a Taser.