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Date Posted: 17:55:06 11/06/02 Wed
Author: Perceptor II
Subject: Lethal nonlethal weapons
In reply to: FawnDoo 's message, "Russian anti-terrorism measures" on 12:57:47 10/28/02 Mon

The thing is, it appears the Russians were trying to use the gas as a non-lethal solution. It's the same sort of solution that was used once or twice in Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Computer, flood the ventalation system with knockout gas. Data, when we're all unconscious, take the controls." The tragic ending to the incident unlines the problems with using a chemical weapon as a "non-lethal" weapon: it's hard to administer it in such a way that everyone is effected the same way, and once unleashed it's hard to "turn off", especially in a confined area like, say, a theater.

The U.S. is also working on similar types of weapons. "Knock-out gas" (I believe the technical term is "calmatives") is only one such example. They're also working on malordorants, quick hardening foam, and microwave and acoustical devices. The U.S. Air Force has developed a vehicle-mounted "pain ray", a microwave emitter that can cause feelings of intense heat without creating permanent burns. Highly focussed "acoustical energy" beams can, theoretically, be used to resonate in bodily organs and temporarily incapacitate a person. My brother, who works in law enforcement, has talked about the tasers they use, devices that shoot wires into a person and deliver an electric jolt capable causing the muscles to go haywire for a few seconds. Unfortunately, nobody has yet developed the "phaser set to stun" from Star Trek yet.

Here's an article from this week's U.S. News & World Report on the subject:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/021111/usnews/11weapon.htm

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