“Arizona’s Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is about to become the first law enforcement agency in the nation to deploy a new weapon with the hopes of preventing police involved shooting deaths,” wilx.com reports. “In addition to traditional handguns and Tasers, the sheriff’s office is adding a third weapon to its deputies’ duty belts, a ‘less-lethal’ handgun that can be used as an alternative to real bullets.” Wait, that means . . .
The deputies facing a violent threat will have to choose between a gun, a TASER, the new rubber bullet gun, pepper spray and (maybe) a baton. In seconds. Where will the new less-lethal gun be positioned on their belt? How much training will they have before they deploy with three guns of varying lethality? Why isn’t anyone in the media asking the cops about the potential dangers of his new system? Instead we get the usual cheerleading . . .
The new weapon looks like a flare gun, but fires much like a regular pistol. Laser sighted, it fires rubber impact cartridges at nearly 400 feet per second.
The rubber impact round isn’t sharp, so it’s designed not to pierce the skin. But it would feel like getting hit by an 88 mph fast ball.
“We pull out this device and shoot him with this impact weapon, right then and there, we get instant compliance and then no one has to take a life,” said PCSO Chief Deputy Steve Henry.
Or not.