The purpose of a weapon is to stop another individual from acting in a way that endangers you. They don't have to be killed outright and drop down dead right there.
That is why weapons that inflict blunt trauma were used in combat for so long, and still are. Plenty carry a cane and can do so in areas where all other weapons are prohibited.
To increase the rapidity of the target becoming unable to attack, we added sharp edges, then learned how to propel those sharp edges from a distance which enhanced our safety.
We have electronic weapons already in our society and we simply don't want to accept them as being there - lasers. Non eye safe lasers already endanger airline pilots and there are those who experiment with them - hopefully in controlled conditions. Just like mishandling a knife or gun, they can and will injure the user, too.
It's not really new technology to use a laser to paint a moving picture on the side of a building as a marketing gimmick, the lastest version applies seasonally decorative lighting for homes.
As a weapon it could project a grid pattern sufficiently small and powerful enough to disable and damage the retina of a viewer, blinding them. That level of incapacitation would make them mostly defenseless, and certainly unable to continue a direct attack. Instead of a taser, we would simply laser.
The difficulty is unintended injury as any reflection could then damage the eyesight of the user, too.
The concept of limiting the visual acquisition of a soldier has been going on a long time - use of smoke is an ancient tactic. Mirrors to direct sunlight into someone's eyes are, too, the more recent tactic of diving out of the sun against opposing aircraft simply a modern variation.
Directing intense light is also being done with flashlights - it's already part of the "continuum of force" for advanced law enforcement. You shine a powerful light in someone's eyes, especially at night, and the normal response to close down the cornea to protect the retina causes a serious loss of vision. Cops didn't stop carrying lights when the multicell versions showed too much impact damage - they carry even brighter ones and that lumen race has been going on for decades.
The DOD is already fielding a lot of different light weapons and it's not all about directed energy that disrupts nervous systems. If you just can't see - you are out of the fight.
