US shoots ahead in stun gun design (Electric Bullets Into Crowds)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18725126.300

WEAPONS designed to fire "electric bullets" into crowds are being developed for police and border protection agencies in the US.

The Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, the domestic equivalent of the defence agency DARPA, has launched an "innovative less-lethal devices for law enforcement" programme to radically expand the capabilities of electric shock weapons.

Existing stun weapons, such as the Taser, typically fire a pair of darts trailing current-carrying wires to shock the target, with a maximum range of about 7 metres. The HSARPA programme aims to develop wireless weapons that can be used over greater distances in spaces such as "an auditorium, a city street or a sports stadium".

Lynntech of College Station, Texas, is developing a projectile that can be fired from a shotgun or 40-millimetre grenade launcher. Grenade launchers are already used by riot police to fire tear gas and baton rounds. On impact, the device sticks to the target and delivers an 80,000-volt shock for 7 seconds, using a pulsed delivery similar to that used by Tasers. Further shocks can be triggered via remote control.

[Kipling]

1. God bless that spirit of enterprise.

[shadowknows69]

2. aw fuk this shit

this country is getting more twisted and fucked up by the minute

[ChairmanAgnostic]

18. tells you something about the neocon plans for us.

screw elections, we control crowds because we can.

[onehandle]

3. Inflicting pain is our greatest export.

Let the Eagle Soar.....

[Moochy]

4. Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency

Don't trust anything that comes from that agency.. the name alone should be warning enough.

Wireless Tasers with remote controls for continued shocking! Interdict free speech zones on the fly, with wireless AfterShock(tm) technology.

:tinfoilhat: Better Living through Techno-Fascism!

[Robeson]

15. Yeah, that name was the first red flag. Wow, I can remember when...

...new agencies were things like the Works Progress Administration, or the Civilian Conservation Corp, or the Environment Protection Agency. Now, new agencies might as well be called the Martial Law and Civlilian Crowd Control Agencies.

[BiggJawn]

17. "The domestic EQUIVALENT to DARPA"?

Oh, bull-pucky...The domestic ARM of DARPA is more like it.

Wanna bet Poindexter is in charge of that one, too?

In Soylent Green they used trucks and skip-loaders. In Violent Bush they'll use electro-shock.

Doesn't bruise the meat as much....

[meganmonkey]

5. Oh joy. I hope it's ready in time for the Sept march in DC

:scared:

[maxsolomon]

6. the only area where we lead in technology

solar cells? nope
fuel efficiency? nope
wind technology? nope

brutalizing protestors? YOU BET!

[pushycat]

7. HSARPA electric bullets

Seven seconds is a long time. It would cause one several days to recover from. Do we really need all this force protection against ourselves?

[Swede Atlanta]

8. Designed for use during Martial Law

This is perfect for use during martial law when Bush decides he doesn't want to deal with such "quaint" things as the U.S. Constitution and surrender power at the conclusion of his second term. He and his cabal will cook up some "terra, terra, terra" threat, suspend the Constitution and invoke martial law. This weapon will allow them to control the masses should we dare to assert our Constitutional rights.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

10. chimp in NEVER leaving-- ever--Martial law will ensure his permanence

permanent chimp-
and in the future people will say they never saw it comming-

funny, it doesn't take a psychic, a genius, or a political science major to figure out what's in store in the comming years.

These fascists aren't even trying to hide their intentions.

[tocqueville]

9. wear rubber

specially thick rubber soles

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

11. will rubber clothes work if the projectile pierces it?would you fry worse?

just wondering if you knew

[DBoon]

13. No - wear metal to shield from the RF

you WILL need a tinfoil hat!

[ret5hd]

14. rubber soles wouldnt do anything...

the ground of the circuit isnt 'the ground'...it's the other wire.

[tocqueville]

21. I understood that the new weapon would be wireless

[Gregorian]

12. Future shock. What would George Washington say?

The posts in this thread are fantastic! Thank you people. Everything that went through my mind, was already here when I came along. I am so discouraged by the bad apples in this country/world. The more I try, the more I want to give up. There really is no hope.

[Rob H.]

16. This whole thing gives me the willies

...but none of it so much as this part: "innovative less-lethal devices for law enforcement." (emphasis added) I guess they want that to mean that if someone actually dies they can say, "Hey, it's only supposed to be less lethal, not non-lethal!"

[Cicero]

20. Well, it just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead.

MIRACLE MAX
Your first story was better.
(looking around)
Where's that bellows?
(spots it)
He probably owes you money, huh? Well, I'll ask him.
He goes to get a huge bellows.

INIGO
(stupefied)
He's dead. He can't talk.
MIRACLE MAX
Look who knows so much. Well, it just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Please open his mouth.
Inigo does. Max inserts the bellows in Westley's mouth and starts to pump.

MIRACLE MAX
Now, mostly dead is slightly alive. Now, all dead...well, with all dead, there's usually only one thing that you can do.
INIGO
What's that?
He stops pumping.

MIRACLE MAX
Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/princess.shtml
...

Later,

[hogwyld]

19. If only...

They put as much thought into alternative energy and peace as they do in weaponry, the world would be so much better off.