Ray Guns For Law and Order

UPDATED 9/21/06

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne has proposed that they test their new ray guns on demonstrators before they test them on the enemy!

Michael had this to say about it:

"If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation," said Wynne. "(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press."

Excuse me?

"If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, .... if I hit somebody .... and they claim that it injured them .... I think that I would be vilified in the world press."

Is he saying that it's ok to test it on our own citizens but not on a foriegn enemy because the press would give him grief if he injured a foreign enemy?

Then we have:

".... injured them in a way that was not intended ...."

So he intends to injure protestors?

But wait a minute - you think this is something out of Flash Gordon?
Well think again!

"A non-lethal -- but potentially harmful -- crowd control weapon that heats human skin is bound for Iraq, and possibly to a police department near you."

The Active Denial System, or ADS, a crowd control weapon built by Raytheon Corporation is scheduled for military deployment in Iraq in 2006. This weapon has already been tested on volunteers at New Mexico's Kirtland Air Force Base. Among the safety measures taken were to ban the wearing of glasses and contact lenses to prevent possible eye damage, as well as remove metallic objects such as keys to avoid burns.

The weapon emits a 95-gigahertz microwave beam, intended to heat the skin within 2-3 seconds causing pain but no physical damage. After 5 seconds the pain is unbearable. The natural pain response is counted on to make one move out of the beam.

New Scientist.com reports:

"During the experiments, people playing rioters put up their hands when hit and were given a 15-second cooling-down period before being targeted again. One person suffered a burn in a previous test when the beam was accidentally used on the wrong power setting"

Ok so they will use it on demonstrators. What are they going to do - announce "Hey everybody we're going to zap you so be sure to take off your rings and glasses, take out your contacts and those of you with congenital insensitivity to pain step aside"?

And now coming to a police station near you!

"Raytheon spokesperson Alan Fischer said the company is "working on a number of active denial projects, with various ranges. The hope is to some day miniaturize them to the size of a hand-held unit that could be carried in a purse or pocket."

Time to rush out and buy Raytheon stock folks!

"The potential for this technology is huge."


The Real Thing























UPDATE 9/21/06: Here is an article from Defense Update Online Magazine outlining a number of these "non-leathal" weapons soon to be deployed.


Sources: CNN Alternet.org New Scientist