# Is a "lightning gun" possible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2004, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452 "2004-03-10T07:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/1 "2004-03-10T07:53:54Z")
Is it possible to build a “lightning gun”? A device that would generate a [“bolt”](http://www.hta-bu.bfh.ch/e/pv/pub/li9404/li06.gif) of electricity, and project it through the air—wirelessly—with (nominal) accuracy? And WITHOUT indiscriminately zapping the person manning the machine? Forget practicality…as a weapon, a muzzle-loading blunderbuss would probably be a more useful choice of arms. This is about _style._ Also forget about long range—being able to hit a target a few dozen feet would be sufficient. So…is it even possible to build a device that could do this? Is it technically or physically impossible, or could you hook a Tesla Coil up to a fire hose and make a poor-man’s death ray? And no, even if the latter was the case, I wouldn’t try and actually build one myself. (You’d probably need upwards of five, even _ten_ dollars just to buy the equipment…and that’s money I simply can’t spare. Also, I don’t want to immolate myself or anyone else.) ---
**Author:** ![cw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@cw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cw)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/2 "2004-03-10T08:03:53Z")
There have been many questions about this, try searching the archives for chain guns, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/3 "2004-03-10T08:05:22Z")
Well, for it to be able to have a directed stream of electricity between it an its target would be to induce a huge voltage difference between those points. 10,000 or more volts would be needed to go through the air. The real key would be to both raise the voltage at the gun and drop the voltage at the target simultaneously. Otherwise, you couldn’t guarantee the accuracy of the beam (going straight between gun and target.) I can think of no reason that inducing this voltage between gun and target isn’t theoretically possible, but it is beyond current technology (and foreseeable) technology. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/4 "2004-03-10T08:06:48Z")
A chain gun is different than an electricity gun - a chain gun shoots a lightweight aluminum projectile. ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/5 "2004-03-10T08:14:39Z")
You could do it with an specially tuned ionizing laser making an ion trail through the air to the target to act as a wire. As for needing 5 or 10 dollars, if that was that case, I’d have built myself one by now. The tricky thing is finding a laser able to ionize a long path of air for a reasonable price. Also, since I don’t the optimum frequency for acheiving such a path, I’d probaly have to buy lots of lasers, or an even more expensive tunable laser. A laser that ionized the air too effectively would make the air in front of it opaque and have too short a range, while a too ineffective ionizer would just do nothing. I’ve heard of research being done on using this to act as a lightning rod. Building the circuit to generate the voltage is the easy part by far. ( Or you could just cannibalize it from a tazer) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/6 "2004-03-10T08:35:03Z")
I was going to suggest the ionising laser method, but if you’re going to all that trouble, why not just shoot the enemy with a powerful laser? ---
**Author:** ![Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olive_The_Other_Reindeer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/7 "2004-03-10T13:10:35Z")
Ah, a 1920’s style death ray! ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/8 "2004-03-10T22:29:02Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I was going to suggest the ionising laser method, but if you’re going to all that trouble, why not just shoot the enemy with a powerful laser? Because it’s cooler! Also because it could be made non-lethal. It would be a ranged wireless stungun. And because you wouldn’t need as powerfull a laser. The laser is the biggest power and cost part of any 1920s style death-ray. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/9 "2004-03-10T22:43:30Z")
\Everything is stolennowadays. The fax machine is just a waffle iron with a phone attached and the death rays we used back in the '20s were just a fire hose attached to a Tesla coil.\ ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/10 "2004-03-11T03:20:40Z")
The lightning gun isn’t a problem, it’s getting your target to hold a lightning rod that might be the kicker. Oh, that and shuffling your shoes on a shag carpet for a few hours. Or, you can just make sure you only hunt armored knights. ## Peace. And this clip holds six billion electrons. ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/11 "2004-03-11T05:03:33Z")
A fully armored knight would be immune to a lightning gun, the armor would safely conduct the charge to ground. If there was a _lot_ of current, he might get a bit warm under the collar, but that’s about it. There’s some crazy guy who dresses up in chain mail and plays with giant tesla coils that I’ve seen pictures of. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/12 "2004-03-11T05:45:43Z")
> [@Thaumaturge](#): > > A fully armored knight would be immune to a lightning gun, the armor would safely conduct the charge to ground. If there was a _lot_ of current, he might get a bit warm under the collar, but that’s about it. There’s some crazy guy who dresses up in chain mail and plays with giant tesla coils that I’ve seen pictures of. Oh, you want the lightning bolt to do actual **damage**? Well, that’s something completely different from simply hitting your target. Does hearing loss count? ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/13 "2004-03-11T06:13:59Z")
Sure why not? Though I don’t think you’d cause much hearing loss before the knight skewered you like a kabob. ---
**Author:** ![127.0.0.1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/258eb7/32.png) [@127.0.0.1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/127.0.0.1)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/14 "2004-03-11T07:45:44Z")
Ha! Your knight wouldn’t get near me with me force field! um, yeah. nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/15 "2004-03-11T11:45:27Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Oh, you want the lightning bolt to do actual **damage**? Well, that’s something completely different from simply hitting your target. Well of course it is. The hit is determined by getting an odd number greater than 40 on a roll of 3 twenty-sided dice. The _damage_ quotient is determined by a roll of a single thirty-sided die. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/16 "2004-03-12T01:25:47Z")
Here’s the FAQ from the company trying to develop such a gun (using a UV laser to initiate the conducting channel): [http://www.hsvt.org/faq.html](http://www.hsvt.org/faq.html) > [@](#): > > Have you built a prototype? > The prototype is being developed for us by a laser manufacturer. > > How big is it? > The prototype is about the size of a carry-on suitcase. In a few years the commercial units should be no larger than a flashlight. > > What if I wrapped myself in aluminum foil or something like that, would I be immune to being tetanized? > First, you would have to be very sure that you didn’t leave any skin uncovered, because the human body is as electrically conductive as a sack of salty water. The current would spread from an uncovered wrist, ankle, or neck to a very wide area. Second, you wouldn’t be protected from the bullets that would likely follow a police officer’s failure to stop you by a more harmless means. > > Is tetanizing painful? > There is no pain whatsoever. In fact, when the rate of electrical pulses is properly adjusted, it is impossible to feel the tetanizing effect. > > Can you make it painful? > Although it is not our intent to inflict pain, if the current were increased and the optimal pulse repetition rate were lowered to 2 or 3 pulses per second, the affected person would feel painful shocks. > > How far can you project the tetanizing effect? > With an ultraviolet wavelength of 193 nanometers, the maximum effective range is about 100 meters. The effective range increases to two kilometers when a wavelength of 248 nanometers and a more intense beam are used. > > Why are only the skeletal muscles tetanized? > The skeletal muscles are held immobile because they are composed of striated or “stringy” muscle tissue. Striated muscle tissue is easily stimulated by electrical currents. On the other hand, heart muscle is affected only by significantly more powerful currents. Thus, this difference in sensitivity is a natural safety factor. > > How do you get the electrical current to the target? > The electrical current is conducted through two channels of ionized air between the device and the target. The channels are created by two laser beams having a wavelength in the far-ultraviolet region, such as of 193 or 248 nanometers. > > Why use two beams? > We use two beams because there would otherwise be no return path for the electrical current. One beam creates a conductive channel of ionized air to the target and the second beam ionizes another channel through which the current returns. In this way, the target becomes a part of the electrical circuit. > > Are the beams visible? > Although the ultraviolet radiation itself cannot be seen, the beams are obvious. This is because oxygen molecules fluoresce green when they de-ionize. Moreover, an even brighter coaxial beam of visible light commonly will be used to designate the target. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/17 "2004-03-12T01:36:25Z")
**Is it possible to build a “lightning gun”?** [Of course it is!](http://www.gamingtarget.com/MediaViewer.aspx?SectionID=1227&MediaFileIndex=002) ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-lightning-gun-possible/233452/18 "2004-03-12T01:49:11Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Here’s the FAQ from the company trying to develop such a gun (using a UV laser to initiate the conducting channel): [Choose Personal Injury Lawyer](http://www.hsvt.org/faq.html) > > * * * > > Is tetanizing painful? > There is no pain whatsoever. In fact, when the rate of electrical pulses is properly adjusted, it is impossible to feel the tetanizing effect. > > ## Can you make it painful? Although it is not our intent to inflict pain, if the current were increased and the optimal pulse repetition rate were lowered to 2 or 3 pulses per second, the affected person would feel painful shocks. Heh, I love the way the FAQ tells you how to turn it from a harmless stun gun into a torture device. 😃