Stun Gun/TASER Laws

 

 STATES WHERE STUN GUNS ARE ILLEGAL

HAWAII (BAN REPEALED; NOW LEGAL, but has some requirements)
MASSACHUSETTS  (BAN REPEALED; NOW LEGAL, but requires MA ID card and LTC)
MICHIGAN (TASERS are LEGAL, but require CCW permit; Stun Guns are ILLEGAL, as of April 2022)
NEW JERSEY (BAN REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
NEW YORK (BAN REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
RHODE ISLAND (BAN REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
WISCONSIN (LEGAL, but requires CCW permit)
ILLINOIS (LEGAL, but requires FOID card)
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CITIES WHERE STUN GUNS ARE ILLEGAL:

ANNAPOLIS, MD (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
BALTIMORE, MD (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
DENISON / CRAWFORD COUNTY, IA (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
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 COUNTRIES THAT STUN GUNS ARE RESTRICTED:

AUSTRALIA
BELGIUM
CANADA
DENMARK
HONG KONG
INDIA (POLICE USE ONLY)
ITALY
JAPAN
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
UNITED KINGDOM
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Air Taser, Stun Guns & Stun Batons

STATE RESTRICTIONS:

HAWAII: Illegal

Hawaii State Law. Rev. Stats. Title 10, Chapter 134. Firearms, Ammunition and Dangerous Weapons. Part 1. General Regulations. Chapter 134-1 Definitions.
"Electric gun" means any portable device that is electrically operated to project a missile or electromotive force.
Chapter 134-16 Restriction on possession, sale, gift or delivery of electric guns.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, including a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer or licensed dealer, to possess, offer for sale, hold for sale, sell, give, lend or deliver any electric gun.
(b) Any electric gun in violation of subsection (a) shall be confiscated and disposed of by the chief of police.
SUMMARY: Possession and sales of Stunning Devices are banned in Hawaii.
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MICHIGAN: Illegal (LAW AMENDED; requires CCW permit)
The Michigan Penal Code Act 328 of 1931. Chapter 750.224a Portable device or weapon directing electrical current, impulse, wave, or beam; sale or possession prohibited; testing.
(1) A person shall not sell, offer for sale, or possess in this state a portable device or weapon from which an electric current, impulse, wave or beam is designed to incapacitate temporarily, injure, or kill.
(3) A person who violates this section is guilty of a felony.
SUMMARY: Possession and sales of Stunning Devices are banned in Michigan.
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RHODE ISLAND: Illegal
General Laws of Rhode Island. Title 11, Chapter 47. Statute Subsection 11-47-42. Weapons other than firearms prohibited. - (A) No person shall carry or possess or attempt to use against another, any instrument or weapon of the kind commonly known as a *** stun gun ***. Any person violating the provisions of this subsection, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, or both such fine and imprisonment, and the weapon so found shall be confiscated.
SUMMARY: Possession and use of Stunning Devices are banned.
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WISCONSIN: Legal with restriction (requires CCW permit)
Under the CCW (Carrying Concealed Weapons) laws, the prohibition against possessing or going armed with an electric weapon does not apply to any of the following:
• A CCW licensee or an out-of-state licensee.
• An individual who goes armed with an electric weapon in his or her own dwelling or place of business or on land that he or she owns, leases, or legally occupies.
Wis. Stat. § 941.295(2g).
The prohibition against transporting an electric weapon does not apply to any of the following:
• A licensee or an out-of-state licensee.
• An individual who is not a licensee or out-of-state licensee who transports an electric weapon if the electric weapon is enclosed within a carrying case.
Wis. Stat. § 941.295(2r).
If you are not specifically allowed to carry an electric weapon (see above) you are only allowed to carry an electric weapon in your own dwelling or place of business or on land that you own, lease, or legally occupy. Wis. Stat. § 941.295(2g). You may also transport the weapon if it is enclosed within a carrying case. Wis. Stat. § 941.295(2r). The possession or carrying of an electric weapon in any other situations is a felony. Wis. Stat. § 941.295(1m).
Electric weapons cannot be sold to persons in Wisconsin who are not law enforcement, armed forces on official duty or persons without a recognized out-of-state CCW license or a Wisconsin CCW license. Wis. Stat. § 941.295(2)(d). A violation of this statute is a felony. Wis. Stat. § 941.295(1m).
SUMMARY: You need a CCW license or recognized out of state license to legally carry stun guns in Wisconsin. However, you can have a stun gun in your home or business and even carry it in your vehicle if it's in a closed case. The catch 22 is that no one can sell to you if you don't have a CCW license.
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ILLINOIS: Legal, with FOID Card
a. In order to possess a Taser or stun gun, an individual must have a valid FOID card, as is currently required for firearms.
b. Sellers of Taser or stun guns must check the buyers FOID card and keep the record of sale for ten years, the same requirements for firearms sales.
c. When a licensed firearms dealer sells a Taser or stun gun, they must request a background check of the buyer.
d. The 24-hour waiting period required for long guns, shotguns, and rifles, will also apply to taser and stun gun purchases.
SUMMARY: Possession and sales of stunning devices are banned in the state of Illinois without the proper licensing.

CITY/COUNTY RESTRICTIONS:

CHICAGO: Illegal (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL WITH FOID CARD)
Publisher's Note: The following jurisdictions require waiting periods or notifications to law enforcement officials before weapons may be delivered to purchasers:
Chicago - application approval/denial for:
(1) Registration : 120 days
(2) Re-registration: e.g., by an heir, 365 days)
SUMMARY: Possession and sales of Stunning Devices are banned in Chicago. (More information required on City of Chicago Ordinance)
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ANNAPOLIS: Illegal (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
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BALTIMORE: Illegal (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
Baltimore City Code 115. Stun guns and similar devices. (e) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to sell, give away, lend, rent or transfer to any individual, firm or corporation a stun gun or other electronic device by whatever name or description which discharges a non-projectile electric current within the limits of the City of Baltimore. It further shall be unlawful for any person to possess, fire or discharge any such stun gun or electronic device within the City. Nothing in this subsection shall be held to apply to any member of the Baltimore City Police Department or any other law enforcement officer while in the performance of his or her official duty (Ord. 385. 1985).
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HOWARD COUNTY, MD: Illegal (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
Sec. 8.404. Sale or possession of electronic weapons prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to sell, give away, lend, rent or transfer to any individual, firm or corporation an electronic weapon within the limits of Howard County. It further shall be unlawful for any person to possess, fire, discharge or activate any electronic weapon within the limits of Howard County. (C.B. 38 1985).
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NEW YORK CITY: Illegal (REPEALED; NOW LEGAL)
Administrative Code of the City of New York 10-135 Prohibition on sale and possession of electronic stun guns.
a. As used in this section, "electronic stun gun" shall mean any device designed primarily as a weapon, the purpose of which is to stun, render unconscious or paralyze a person by passing an electronic shock to such person, but shall not include an "electronic dart gun" as such term is defined in section 265.00 of the penal law.
b. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer for sale or to have in his or her possession within the jurisdiction of the city any electronic gun.
c. Violation of this section shall be a class A misdemeanor. [Exemptions under this section are provided for police officers operating under regular department procedures or guidelines and for manufacturers of electronic stun guns scheduled for bulk shipment. NOTE: The electronic stun gun is not a "firearm" under the Federal Gun Control Act of 1968 because it does not "...expel a projectile by the action of an explosive..."]
SUMMARY: Possession and sales of Stunning Devices are banned in New York City