Slashdot Mirror
New Tech Puts the Brakes On Bullets Fired From Police Sidearms
Zothecula writes: Police officers are trained to shoot for the center of mass, not necessarily to kill, but to stop – although the end result can often be one and the same. "The Alternative" is designed to give officers a less lethal option in the form of a clip-on "air bag" for semiautomatic pistols that reduces the velocity of a standard round to make it less lethal. At the front of the bright orange carrier is a hollow sphere made of a proprietary alloy that catches the bullet and firmly embeds it as it leaves the barrel. The ball and bullet fuse, slowing the round by 80 percent. At this speed, the ball-encased round is less likely to penetrate flesh, but it will transfer enough kinetic energy across a wide surface to knock a suspect down with less chance of a lethal outcome.
How do you plan to disarm criminals ? The gun, ammo, and knowledge to build them is out there. If an Afghan can build an AK in a cave with nothing but hand-tools, what do you think someone in the US can do with access to milling machine, lathe, and 3D printer ?
Why not just use rubber bullets or baton rounds? The technology has been around since the 70s and you are not limited to one less-lethal shot. In fact rubber bullets seem like a far better idea - with this solution what happens if the first shot misses?
If they're brandishing they're not a good guy. Brandishing means to draw and display to give the impression of intent to use.
Getting confused about which gun shaped handle is in the hand is common place enough as it is. Many (dozens) of people have been shot with real bullets when the officer intended to be firing a Tazer. This is the reason many Tazer holsters are cross-draw now and not just in a second holster on the strong side.
This thing, is going to be fired from the SAME weapon and without a lot besides mental training between it, and real bullets. Follow up shots will come right after when the officer did not intend them. Guaranteed. If it gets used, it will get confused, and people will die over it.
This stupid little tool isn't going to work, it's a minor pain compliance tool attached to a "gonna wipe your ass out" tool where things shouldn't be mixed. It's LESS painful and LESS damaging than an asp or night stick.
The only real benefit is this thing can be just clipped on and takes up less space on the belt, or could just sit in a holder on the dash or something.
The dumbass inventor drags it out and pays to have a big marketing stir about once a year, or whenever police have shot someone and it made a bunch of news.
15 years ago that was every boy. Now you have to be some kind of troubled youth to enjoy killing can with BBs.
I went all over with a BB gun (rifle and pistols) and NEVER ONCE pointed at people in order to get a kick out of scaring them, menacing them or anything like that. Also, when the cops showed up (for whatever reason, never had the neighbors complain about what we were doing with BB guns) we stopped what we were doing, answered questions politely and complied every time.
The difference is not the gun or the BB gun or the airsoft gun. It's the culture, mindeset, intent, and parenting of the person holding it that counts.
Getting shot or not is mostly in the control of the shootee, the shooter is not the driving force (other than being in a profession that is the force part of "authorized force by the state."