Did you mean kV? I don't know if 40kHz is high enough, but I know at some point it doesn't even shock anymore, just burns. Hence you can take a screwdriver in your hand, and get it close to high frequency Tesla coil / slayer exciter circuit (not that I know the difference) and have it flow through you no problem, just if you touch the spark directly it burns.

Thinner than the lag bolts are long...?

I got drill bits that can go pretty deep. The reason this shit doesn't happen to professionals like myself is that I am scared of electricity and power tools and have no clue what I'm doing and have people do it for me.

SMH

Seriously though, this is def something you take up with the landlord, the fines and payment for the repairs alone will be punishment enough.

You can short the terminals on a car battery with your body with no issue (there's a theory that that's why you see it in movies so much - if anyone actually tries it the studio isn't giving them an idea that actually works. Same with duct-tape gags and chloroform), but it might melt the hardware and set the floor on fire which would be fun! What they should really do is connect a HV source and charge up the pole. Won't cause any lasting harm, but hopefully it'll convince them they drove a screw through a live wire.

I mean, a car battery isn't going to do anything even if you could complete a circuit. You can just grab the terminals on a car battery, 12V isn't high enough to be noticeable on dry skin.

You'd want to solder on the hot lead of an extension cord hooked up to 120 if you wanted to make sure they never touch that pole again.

Disclaimer: don't do this, it'll probably kill.