humane killer

A weapon designed to kill large animals, such as domestic cattle and horses, as quickly and (hopefully) painlessly as possible, by inflicting a concussion that instantly renders the animal unconscious. They are used in the slaughter of livestock for meat, and also to euthanize injured farm animals. The most common type is the captive bolt pistol, which, as its name suggests, is a handgun-like device that forcibly projects a heavy bolt, which remains attached to the weapon. Despite the name, how humane these devices really are is a matter of considerable debate. They sometimes turn up as murder weapons in fiction, and also occasionally in fact.