- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

‘Less-Lethal’ Gun Unfeasible for High-Stress Police Environments

© Flickr / thisisbossiPrototype firearm muzzle attachment
Prototype firearm muzzle attachment - Sputnik International
Subscribe
According to a police expert, the less-lethal weapon prototype firearm muzzle attachment, tested by the Ferguson police department, is unworkable in dynamic, stressful situations.

Police stand guard during a demonstration outside the Ferguson Police Department, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. - Sputnik International
Ferguson Police Will Allegedly Test 'Less-Lethal' Gun Attachment
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A prototype firearm muzzle attachment being touted as an alternative to lethal force, though promising in theory, is unworkable for law enforcement agents when faced with fluid, high-pressure circumstances, court-certified police expert, Richard Lichten, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

“Conceptually, I think the less-lethal weapon they’re testing seems like a neat idea but, in reality, I’m not so sure this is going to work, just based on human performance and what happens to police officers in dynamic, stressful situations,” Lichten said.

Lichten was responding to a Washington Post report that the Ferguson, Missouri police department was testing an attachment that, when placed on a gun’s muzzle, ensures that targets are incapacitated, but not killed.

Two police officers shot dead an unarmed passenger during a traffic stop in New Jersey on Dec. 30, 2014. - Sputnik International
US Protesters Demand Probe Into Another Killing of Unarmed Man by Police
However, Lichten, who has given expert testimony in over 100 cases at the local, district and federal levels and himself is a former police lieutenant and watch commander, said he was leery, because there are too many drawbacks, including the impracticality of attaching and detaching such as device under pressure.

“Say, for instance, a guy is 20 feet away and he starts running at you. Well, the average person can cover 20 feet in a second and a half. Do you have enough time to draw your gun, put this thing on and use it? No, you don’t,” Lichten explained.

Even more harrowing would be a situation when the less-lethal option does not work, and the officer is then forced to scramble to detach the device from the business end of his duty weapon in order to return to lethal mode, he said.

Attorney Scott Rynecki, left, and Kimberly Ballinger, the domestic partner of Akai Gurley and mother of his toddler daughter, hold a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 - Sputnik International
Family of Unarmed American Shot by New York Police Files $50 Mln Claim

Lichten also pointed out that officers are trained to fire in bursts of two to three rounds when they see a threat, so the less-lethal model is bound to require a different type of training, considering you would probably want to begin with one round at the outset.

Not to mention, Lichten said, it is highly unlikely this innovation will appeal to many gun makers, who will rightfully complain that their product was not designed to accommodate some unknown contraption being annexed to its muzzle, which could lead to liability issues should something go awry when the weapon is discharged.

In August, 2014, Ferguson grabbed the world’s attention when a white police officer, Darren Wilson, shot and killed a black teenager, Michael Brown, sparking nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала