In riots and protests, police have used rubber bullets, and gases, even though these are considered non-lethal, some have a potential to kill people.

policeman fires a rubber pellet gun close up at a crowd


This is what being shot with a rubber bullets at 20ft looks like.

result of being sprayed with red pepper spray and with red pepper gases

Should non-lethal weapons be substituted for something different

American police consider these weapons "less than lethal" not non-lethal.

I'm not sure what the point of this thread is. "Less than lethal" weapons can be leathal but most of the time they are non-lethal.

A finger can be lethal or non-lethal depending on placement. Rubber bullet to the temple will kill while that same shot striking you in the buttocks will only bruise. The intent of the officers is what is important, if at close distance they willfully discharge the weapon aimed such that is delivers a lethal strike then it is a case for the proper authorities to investigate.

I am very curious about the picture of the woman bleeding that you have captioned as being the result of pepper spray. Was she hit with the canister or sprayed with the liquid? I have been sprayed with pepper spray and it did not break the skin.

any weapon can be lethal, riot weapons are designed as less then lethal. I believe using a Machine Gun in a riot situation would stop the riot.

LMAO...."SOMEONE GET ON THAT .50"

Why does the title say Non-lethal weapons leathal? Its Less that Lethal.

Non Lethal Weapons......If there is such a thing. The general idea of these weapons is to control a hostile crowd with the minimum of force, but this does not mean that people can't be killed by these weapons, it just means that you are reducing the risk of killing any one. Any one that is close to one of these baton firing guns can get killed or seriously injured and much of this will depend on the persons age and their physical condition. Lets face it it even tasers and CS gas can kill people

the officers do what they have to do, and it works. Tear gas em all!

Even tear gas can kill some people.

Just about anything can kill people. Too much stress in one spot or too much of a certain element, and we are history. I tend to agree with bulldog, its the intent that can make the difference. Thats why they say guns dont kill people, people kill people. Nothing is inherently lethal, it is how it is used that kills.