A PROTEST that turns nasty is a tough challenge for law enforcers. Violent rioters sow confusion by mingling with peaceful protesters. The police are left with limited options, such as baton charges to capture ringleaders or indiscriminate tactics such as firing tear gas. Enter a new generation of non-lethal weapons: guns that send 50,000 volts through a person up to 100 metres away (see “Stun weapons to target crowds”). But do the makers seriously think their weapons should be used for crowd control?
It is already a scandal that there has been no large-scale, independent study of the…
