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Pentagon Developed 'Laughing Bullets'

plasmadroid writes "It might sound like a joke, but documents unearthed by New Scientist show that the Pentagon actually funded research into 'non-lethal' bullets that would also hit a target with a dose of laughing gas. That way, they'd not only be stunned but incapacitated by fits of giggles. Another idea was to put stink bombs inside rubber bullets. I guess it would work, but the idea of crowds of rioters giggling uncontrollably while being pelted with rubber bullets is truly bizarre..."

6 of 286 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Safe for entire range? by east+coast · · Score: 3, Informative

    Perhaps it's like a Simunition FX.

    And please, don't misunderstand the non-lethal aspect of the technology. Non-lethal doesn't mean harmless. These rounds would likely cause bruises and sometimes breaks of the skin. I guess it's still better then being dead.

    --
    Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
  2. "Laughing gas" isn't by CoolVibe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nitrous Oxide, also known as "Laughing gas" does not make people laugh. Read more here on WikiPedia.

  3. Re:...Oblig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Actually,

    You can't have manslaughter without "man's laughter"

  4. Re:Would it even work? by isdnip · · Score: 1, Informative

    Not only would it not work, but recall nitrous oxide's other chemical properties.

    It's a nitrogen compound. Lots of explosive potential. Indeed it can be made by carefully heating ammonium nitrate (see McVeigh, Timothy). But if you apply too much heat, the nitrous oxide can blow up too (see Oklahoma City). How you'd get that stuff to survive a bullet-ride intact is a bit of a mystery to me.

  5. You're an idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Nitrous Oxide is non-flammable, and that "explosive" reaction you're running your yap about is when the AMMONIUM NITRATE explodes, not the Nitrous Oxide.

    Read about how wrong you are here

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrous_oxide#Aerosol _propellant

  6. Re:Safe for entire range? by eth1 · · Score: 2, Informative

    "If we were to define non-lethal as not possible to kill someone with, we couldn't even define marshmallows as non-lethal due to their choking hazard."

    This is exactly why police departments, etc. don't ever refer to these things as "non-lethal" (at least not in an official manner). They're properly called "LESS-lethal."