Less-lethal weapons, less-than-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. Riots are a form of Civil disorders characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of Violence, Vandalism or other A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a Knife - Dagger - or spike-shaped Weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle The sabre or saber (see spelling differences) is a kind of Sword that usually but not always has Less-lethal riot control weapons were developed to reduce the loss of life in such situations.

Contents 1 History 2 Safety 3 Less-lethal force in the news 4 See also 5 Notes 6 External links

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, which were developed for use by police and also found a market in self-defense by private citizens. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Pepper spray (also known as OC spray (from " Oleoresin Capsicum " OC gas, capsicum spray, or oleoresin capsicum An electroshock weapon is an Incapacitant Weapon used for subduing a person by administering Electric shock aimed at disrupting superficial muscle The right of self-defense (also called alter ego defense, defense of others, defense of a third person) is the right for civilians acting on their

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° Fahrenheit (54° Celsius) in about two seconds, causing intolerable pain. The Active Denial System (ADS is a Non-lethal, Directed-energy weapon developed by the U Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale.

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. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP was founded in Chicago in 1893 as the National Chiefs of Police Union. Pepper spray (also known as OC spray (from " Oleoresin Capsicum " OC gas, capsicum spray, or oleoresin capsicum The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Positional asphyxia, is also known as postural asphyxia, is a form of Asphyxia which occurs when someone's position prevents them from breathing

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. ^[2] 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. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar

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. Rubber bullets are Rubber or rubber-coated Projectiles fired from Firearms They are usually non-lethal, unless fired at short range but The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 In practice they were often fired directly at human targets and caused serious injury.

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. 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. Victoria Snelgrove ( October 29, 1982 &ndash October 21, 2004) was a student who was accidentally killed by Boston police about an hour Pepper spray (also known as OC spray (from " Oleoresin Capsicum " OC gas, capsicum spray, or oleoresin capsicum A projectile is any object propelled through space by the exertion of a force which ceases after launch The FN 303 is a semi-automatic less-lethal launcher manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. Eyes are organs that detect Light, and send signals along the Optic nerve to the visual areas of the brain 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 (inflammable) CS gas canisters during the Waco siege contributed to the fire that killed many Branch Davidians. CS gas is the common name for 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called o-Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile (chemical formula C10H5ClN2 The Waco Siege (also known as the Waco Massacre) took place on February 28 The Branch Davidians are a Sect that originated from a schism in 1955 from the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists, themselves former members of the

Journalist Ruben Salazar was killed in Los Angeles by an errant CS gas canister during the Chicano riots. Rubén Salazar ( March 3, 1928 - August 29, 1970) was a Mexican-American News reporter killed by the Sheriffs

Sticky foam was tried by the U.S. Marine Corps in the peacekeeping Operation United Shield in 1995 with some success, but as a result various complications in its field use were also discovered. Sticky foam is an Incapacitant, used when Less lethal force is required consisting of various extremely tacky and/or tenacious materials carried in compressed form Operation United Shield was the name given to the US military operation of evacuating all remaining 6200 UN peacekeeping troops from Somalia from January ^[3]

See also

• Incapacitant
• Electroshock weapon
• Sticky foam
• Sonic weaponry
• Long range acoustic device
• Non-lethal rounds
• Active Denial System
• Dazzler (weapon)

Notes

External links

• Bradford Non-Lethal Weapons Research Project (BNLWRP), University of Bradford, UK.
• The Sunshine Project, 'Non-Lethal' Incapacitating (Bio)Chemical Weapons (website)
• Ro'i Ben-Horin, "Non-Lethal Weapons Theory, Practice, and what Lies Between", Strategic Assessment, Volume 3, No. 4, April 2001
• Pharaoh's Army, documentary about less-lethal weapons
• The European Parliament Directorate General for Research, The STOA - Scientific and Technological Options. An Appraisal of Technologies of Political Control
• LED Incapacitator
• WSTIAC, Weapon Systems library

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