Essay/Term paper: Non-lethal weapons vs lethal weapons

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Term Papers

Resolved that non-lethal weapons, such as tasers, could be used instead of lethal weapons, such as guns.

Every year over 10,000 people are killed by guns in the United States. This kind of violence does not need to happen, and won"t happen if weapons such as tasers are used in everyday life. Another problem in our society is violence such as riots and fights. These things can be controlled with sticky foam, water cannons, or rubber bullets.

The main reason to choose tasers and new-age weapons over guns, is the fact that they are non-lethal. Every year about 500 police officers are killed by guns. This kind of death doesn"t need to happen. In 1983, 10,895 people were killed by firearms. In 1973 over 100 innocent children were killed by guns, and every year that number increases. So, if you would like these numbers to drastically decrease, we must choose smarter, and non-lethal weapons.

One other important reason to choose "new-age" weapons, is that lethal force is commonly used when not needed. One example is riots, where things such as water cannons or snare nets could be used instead of lethal force. In some jails, sticky foam is being used to restrain uncooperative inmates. Whether we use non-lethal force on civilians or prisoners, it helps our country in the long run.

So, if we use non-lethal force against criminals or uncooperative civilians, we can reduce death and risk of innocent children dying. It"s true that guns must be used, but not for petty crimes such as a small burglary.