From: mjp@austin.ibm.com  (Michael Phelps)
Subject: Re: Non-lethal alternatives to handguns?
Originator: mjp@bwa.kgn.ibm.com
Reply-To: mjp@vnet.ibm.com (Michael J. Phelps)
Organization: IBM Kingston NY
Keywords: handgun mace pepper-spray taser tasp phaser
Lines: 27


holland@CS.ColoState.EDU (douglas craig holland) writes:
|> What about guns with non-lethal bullets, like rubber or plastic bullets.
|> Would those work very well in stopping an attack?
|> 
|> 						Doug Holland

 Any projectile traveling at or near typical bullet speeds is potentially
lethal.  Even blanks [which have no projectile] can cause death if the
muzzle is in close proximity to the victim.  I have heard of rubber or
plastic bullets being used effectively during riot situations [where the
intent is crowd control, rather than close range self defense]; i've also
seen reports of deaths caused by them [the British in Northern Ireland].
 Use of a firearm for self defense is appropriate and lawful only in the
gravest of situations; at that point, i consider deadly [lethal] force to 
be a proper reaction [and so does the law].  
 Furthermore, use of less effective [but still potentially lethal] force
has its own set of problems.  It may well take more applications of the
less effective force to stop the incident; this places all parties at some
risk; the victim because the attack has not stopped, and the assailent 
since the aggregate damage done by the multiple applications may well be
more deadly.

-- 
Michael Phelps, (external) mjp@vnet.ibm.com ..
                (internal) mjp@bwa.kgn.ibm.com .. mjp at kgnvmy         
 (and last but not least a disclaimer)  These opinions are mine..       
