Non-lethal weapon

Non-lethal force is force which is not inherently likely to kill or cause great bodily injury to a living target. In the past, police (or soldiers in Military Aid to the Civil Power) called to a riot were primarily limited to use of bayonet or sabre charges, or firing live ammunition into the mob. To control the violence with minimal risk to human life, non-lethal or less-than-lethal riot control technologies were developed in the 1960s.

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 stun guns, which were developed for use by police and also found a market in self-defense by private citizens.

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. 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.

The entire concept of less-than-lethal weapons is to minimize civilian casualties. Although rioters are occasionally accidentally 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.

Weapons not designed as lethal instruments can nevertheless do 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. Many politically motivated groups maintain there is room for improvement in these weapons. Amnesty International in 1997 released a report titled USA: Police use of pepper spray is tantamount to torture.

A continuing issue with less-lethal weapons concerns training and 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. 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, 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.

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 gasses 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.

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.

In 2003, protester Sheldon McKay was killed by a beanbag projectile fired by Iowa City police. In a freak occurrence, the beanbag entered McKay's mouth and asphyxiated him. In the aftermath of this incident, Iowa City police were dubbed "beanbaggers" by the local media.

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.

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. [1]

See also

sticky foam