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less-lethal weapon: Information from Answers.com

Less-lethal weapons, non-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, or, more recently, compliance weapons are weapons intended to be unlikely to kill or to cause great bodily injury to a living target. In the past, police (or soldiers) called to a riot were primarily limited to use of bayonet or saber charges, or firing live ammunition at crowds. Less-lethal riot control weapons were developed to reduce the loss of life in such situations.

History

Similarly, police officers on patrol were traditionally armed with a baton or a pistol, while in the 1980s and 1990s officers began deploying non-lethal personal sidearms, such as pepper sprays and electroshock weapons,[citation needed] which were developed for use by police and also found a market in self-defense by private citizens.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, interest in various forms of less-lethal weapons has risen, both in military and police contexts. The interest arose because the use of less-lethal weapons may, under international law and treaty, be legal in situations where weapons such as lethal gases are not, as well as further efforts to keep the peace after conflict.

In 2001 the United States Marine Corps revealed its development of an energy weapon called the Active Denial System, a device said to be capable of heating the skin of a target individual to approximately 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius) in about two seconds, causing intolerable pain.

In 2004 author Jon Ronson revealed a military report titled "Non-Lethal Weapons: Terms and References." There were a total of 21 acoustic weapons listed, in various stages of development, including the Infrasound ("Very low-frequency sound which can travel long distances and easily penetrate most buildings and vehicles...biophysical effects: nausea, loss of bowels, disorientation, vomiting, potential internal organ damage or death may occur. Superior to ultrasound..." [1]

Safety

The entire concept of less-lethal weapons is to minimize civilian casualties. Although rioters are occasionally killed by these weapons, fatalities are rare and usually accidental. Typical causes of death from non-lethal weapons include misplaced or ricocheting shots, as well as insufficient training on the part of the user.

As different parts of the body differ in vulnerability, and because people vary in weight and fitness, any weapon powerful enough to incapacitate is likely to be capable of killing under certain circumstances. Less lethal ammunition can cause contusions, abrasions, broken ribs, concussions, loss of eyes, superficial organ damage, serious skin lacerations, massive skull fractures, rupture of the heart or kidney, fragmentation of the liver, hemorrhages, and death. Medical assistance should be contacted immediately after an actual deployment of a less lethal munition even if no physical injuries appear on subject or subjects. Thus "non-lethal force" does have some risk of causing death: in this context "non-lethal" only means "not intended to kill". For this reason, two new terms, "less than lethal" and particularly "less-lethal", were coined and are now being used in place of "non-lethal" by many weapons manufacturers and law enforcement agencies (and even those who oppose their common use in riot control). This meaning emphasizes that they tend to kill or injure far fewer targets than traditional weapons, which primarily incapacitate by killing or maiming.

Weapons not designed as lethal instruments can, nevertheless, prove fatal. An estimate by the International Association of Chiefs of Police suggested at least 113 pepper spray related fatalities had occurred in the United States, mostly from positional asphyxia, which is caused by airway-restrictive immobilizing holds that can be exacerbated by pepper spray, which irritates the airway.

Both pepper spray and electroshock weapons have been occasionally misused in so-called 'pain compliance' techniques against people attempting to practice nonviolent civil disobedience. For instance, pepper spray has been swabbed directly into the eyes of protesters who were being held immobile with their eyelids forcibly pulled back. In at least one case, notwithstanding manufacturer's warnings of the danger of such use, a judge has upheld the use of such method. Amnesty International in 1997 released a report titled USA: Police use of pepper spray is tantamount to torture.

Several groups maintain there is great room for improvement in non-lethal weapons and procedures for their use. Claims for the relative safety of such weapons are usually contingent on their being used "properly." For example, the rubber bullets developed during the 1960s were supposed to be fired at the ground and hit the target only after ricochet.[citation needed] In practice they were often fired directly at human targets and caused serious injury. Similarly, the chemical agent Mace is, according to manufacturers, supposed to be sprayed on the chest,[citation needed] and police organizations say that officers are trained to use it that way; but in actual practice, police frequently spray Mace directly at the face, probably because this is more effective. A continuing issue with less-lethal weapons concerns training and use.

The use of chemical weapons such as tear gas (CS) and pepper spray (OC) has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism due to studies showing serious long term side effects [1]. One indication is that many police forces are no longer exposing their members to the chemicals during training. Another is that tear gas and pepper spray are banned in warfare under the Biological and Chemical Weapons Convention.

Less-lethal force in the news

Victoria Snelgrove was accidentally killed by police near Fenway Park by a pepper spray projectile fired from an FN 303 classified as a less-lethal weapon – which hit her in her eye causing her to bleed excessively. Following this incident several police forces including Seattle's have temporarily discontinued use of this weapon until after the results of the investigation are published.

There have been accusations that the use of (flammable) CS gas canisters during the Waco siege contributed to the fire that killed many Branch Davidians [citation needed].

Journalist Ruben Salazar was killed in Los Angeles by an errant CS gas canister during the Chicano riots.

Sticky foam was tried by the U.S. Marine Corps in Operation United Shield in 1995 with some success, but as a result various complications in its field use were also discovered. [2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ronson, Jon (2005). The Men Who Stare at Goats. Simon & Schuster, 259. ISBN 0743241924. 

External links

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