Police trial electric bullets

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: EEkid () aol com
Date: August 10, 2005 9:19:48 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Police trial electric bullets


Police trial electric bullets
August 11, 2005 - 6:09AM

Quick-footed criminals hoping to avoid the debilitating shock of a  
police stun gun could soon be facing a more exacting foe - the  
electric bullet.

Stun guns, like the Taser, fire small spears joined to the handpiece  
with wires. The spears discharge an electric shock and incapacitate  
the target, but such weapons have a limited range of up to about 10  
metres.

The United States Department of Homeland Security is seeking  
alternatives with broader uses like light lasers or guns firing  
electric bullets to combat all manner of felon.

"People encountered can range from aggressors who are hardened  
criminals to mentally disturbed teenagers ... from protesting crowds  
that include children and elderly, to street gangs," the Homeland  
Security Department, which is soliciting prototypes from industry,  
said on its website.

According to the New Scientist magazine, several companies have put  
forward ideas, including the Piezer - which can be fired from a 12- 
gauge shotgun up to 50 metres, shocking and stunning whoever it hits.

Another firm has suggested a dazzler which disorientates crowds with  
a series of bright lights.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Police-trial-electric-bullets/ 
2005/08/11/1123353407198.html

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