Non-Lethal Weapons
Weapons that are intended to have a less probability of killing a living target are known as non-lethal weapons. These weapons disorient and incapacitate the opponent in order for the defender to get adequate time for getting away. This means that they are a means of self-defense. The first example of a non-lethal weapon is pepper spray, which has oleoresin capsicum (OC) as the active ingredient. Water cannons are also used as non-lethal weapons especially during riot control or in crowds. These weapons are used to prevent movement in a given position or disperse a crowd. Scent-based weapons are the other example of non-lethal weapons. Malodorants whish produce horrible smell that force people to leave a target area fall under this category (Davison, 2009).
The other types of non-lethal weapons are electroshock weapons, which incapacitate a person following administration of electric shock in order to disrupt physical muscle functions. Directed energy weapons are the other example and these weapons transmit energy to a specific direction without using a projectile. These weapons are not only non-lethal but they also have the ability to immobilize machines such as vehicles and people (Davison, 2009).
One needs to use a non-lethal weapon as a means of projection since this weapon can not cause fatal and detrimental effect on the target individual. The use of non-lethal weapons also useful in escalating conflicts in combat situations. There are also some places where the use of lethal force is prohibited. In such situations, it is necessary to choose non-lethal weapons as self-defense means.
Reference
Davison, N. (2009). Non-lethal Weapons. Palgrave Macmillan.
