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With the rise of economic instability, climate change, and worldwide conflicts, riots and protests have become a growing challenge for governments across the globe. While some still rely on traditional methods to violently suppress demonstrators, others have adopted technology to find more efficient ways to control their populations. Some of these weapons are quite horrifying, deeply inhumane, and could have devastating effects if they become normalized in everyday life.
10. Sonic Weapons Created for Crowd Control
It’s widely understood that loud noises can cause intense pain and permanent hearing damage, but it wasn't until recently that these sounds were weaponized. The U.S. government has been using a powerful tool known as the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) for years. Initially created to broadcast commands over long distances, especially at sea, LRADs were also used to prevent piracy. The device’s other uses included alerting people in emergencies and keeping wildlife away from power generators. However, over time, it has become popular as a crowd control mechanism.
Several years ago, the LRAD was deployed against Occupy Wall Street protesters to force them to disperse. More recently, it was a central part of the police tactics used against the Ferguson protesters. These massive devices emit piercingly loud commands, followed by sounds designed to make people flee as quickly as possible. Although intended for non-lethal crowd control, the LRAD is far from harmless. It can cause intense headaches and permanent hearing loss, and cities have faced lawsuits over the harm caused by LRADs. Like many crowd control tools, ‘non-lethal’ rarely means ‘non-damaging.’
9. Laser Devices Created to Temporarily Blind and Potentially Induce Illness
Possibly the least dangerous of the weapons currently in testing, the Dazer Laser is designed to emit a green beam that can temporarily blind a target without causing permanent harm. Despite its seemingly harmless nature, the device can reportedly cause disorientation, confusion, and even nausea. Even more concerning, the effects of being blinded by the light can reportedly linger for hours afterward.
Naturally, lasers can be quite hazardous, especially when they are strong enough to affect humans. And since they are aimed directly at the eyes, it’s hard to imagine how these can be completely safe. Unfortunately, many law enforcement agencies across the country are already using these potentially dangerous devices, despite them not being fully tested. Police departments seem drawn to the Dazer Laser because it’s considered less lethal than a Taser (at least for now) and is incredibly simple to operate.
8. A Real Heat Ray for Crowd Dispersal
The Active Denial System sounds like something straight out of a science fiction novel. This ‘sci-fi’ weapon is essentially a heat ray, and while that may sound completely outlandish, the reality is that the U.S. military has been meticulously developing this device for years. Designed specifically for riot control, U.S. officials are quite proud of this technological achievement.
Developed for military applications, the heat ray could serve as a highly effective tool for dispersing civilian protesters without causing fatalities. Its creators assert that you won't hear, see, or smell the weapon's approach. Instead, you'll feel a searing heat as though you're standing right in front of a furnace. The military believes this intense sensation will prompt individuals to rapidly flee the area.
However, some critics question the safety of such a device. A number of researchers have raised concerns that, due to the way heat is distributed, individuals in the center of a crowd could suffer severe injury or even death. Others worry that if used on a particularly hot day, the heat ray might cause the crowd to become disoriented or even trigger full-on panic. Additionally, those positioned in the back of the crowd could make it difficult for those at the front to escape, potentially leading to burns.
7. A Shotgun That Fires Tasers When A Standard Taser Won’t Cut It
Tasers are among the most controversial weapons available... and for good reason. While they’re intended to be non-lethal, there have been numerous instances where Tasers have inadvertently caused fatal disruptions to people's nervous systems, leading to premature death. For a device marketed as a safer alternative to firearms, this raises some serious concerns.
That said, Taser International, the company behind the devices, maintains that their products are generally safe, and that deaths occurring during use are the result of improper police handling, not faults with the device itself. As a result, their primary focus isn't on improving the safety of the devices but rather on making them more powerful and larger.
Law enforcement agencies across the United States have eagerly adopted a new device developed by Taser. This innovative weapon allows officers to fire a charge directly from a shotgun. Why is this important? The original Taser has a limited range of about 8 meters (25 feet), and because the wires need to stay connected to the device, it can only incapacitate one individual at a time.
The shotgun version, however, enables officers to launch a wireless Taser charge up to nearly 30 meters (100 feet), and quickly reload to fire again. This new Taser shotgun can take down multiple people in the time it would typically take a regular Taser to subdue just one individual.
6. The Military Has Seriously Explored a Weapon for Sedating Crowds
In the early 2000s, the Russian government deployed a mysterious gas during a high-stakes hostage crisis. With numerous lives on the line, the situation blurred the lines between a police operation and a military conflict. The gas resulted in the deaths of over 100 hostages, and the Russian authorities have never disclosed its exact nature. They merely state that it was some form of anesthetic typically used for surgery.
This sparked significant controversy, as the Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of weapons like tear gas or biological agents in military operations. The only exception to this rule is for police actions in certain cases involving chemicals. Given that this situation involved a rebel group, many in the international community—particularly the United States—were quick to criticize Russia's actions.
However, US officials were being hypocritical. Some sources, like the Sunshine Project, revealed that the US had funded a university study exploring how to develop crowd control weapons using sedative drugs. Although government representatives denied that such weapons were under development, the revelation indicates that the possibility has been seriously considered.
To make matters worse, government officials admitted to receiving unsolicited offers for similar technologies. This suggests that there are companies eager to sell such products to the government. Some fear this could eventually lead to the creation of dangerous crowd control tools, such as weaponized Valium.
5. Water Cannons That Mark You for Future Arrest
Water cannons have a notorious history in the United States, which makes law enforcement hesitant to use them, even in favor of harsher tactics. Why? During the 1960s, massive water cannons (often accompanied by large dogs) were frequently used to break up civil rights protests, leaving a deeply negative legacy.
While the United States has moved away from using these controversial methods of riot control due to its problematic history, many other countries still have no qualms about employing such harsh tactics to maintain order and suppress unrest.
Although it might not seem like the most sophisticated way to break up a crowd, this method has been refined over time. Today's water cannons are often paired with a tank of dye that’s difficult to wash off. Authorities can activate the device at will, allowing them not only to soak protesters but also to mark them for future identification and arrest.
This technique has been used during recent protests in India, though it has sparked controversy. Critics argue that the dye used is toxic and could potentially cause cancer, while others claim that innocent bystanders, who aren’t even part of the protests, are often hit by the spray.
4. Biological Weapons Have Been Tested on a Large Scale Against US Citizens
When many people think of the US government, they often recall its history of engaging in morally questionable actions abroad. However, most assume that American officials would refrain from inflicting similar harm on their own citizens. In reality, the US government has conducted potentially hazardous biological weapons tests on its own people, with no intention of informing them.
The first documented tests took place near San Francisco during the 1950s, where officials aimed to assess how biological agents could be dispersed within fog. At that time, the government only used two types of bacteria they considered relatively harmless, but the success of these tests led them to pursue more ambitious experiments.
Over the following decades, before these operations were eventually uncovered and presumably halted, the government conducted 239 biological agent tests on its own citizens. Many of these experiments took place in densely populated areas, such as the New York subway system, to maximize their impact. Critics have argued that these actions violated numerous wartime conventions, rendering the US government highly hypocritical.
As far as the public knows, the US government no longer conducts these types of biological tests on its own citizens.
3. The US Military is Developing a Sticky Foam Gun for Anti-Vehicle Use
In the 1990s, during a Marine mission in Somalia, the US government decided it was time to test a new weapon. Unlike traditional weapons meant to kill, this device was designed to slow down the enemy. The weapon launched a sticky foam projectile, and while it was used by Marines during their retreat in Somalia, reports on its effectiveness were generally unimpressive.
The soldiers expressed frustration, as they had been trained to aim the foam at a person's feet to hinder their movement. In practice, however, people could often escape before the foam hardened. Interestingly, some Marines claimed limited success when aiming the foam at people's thighs.
Despite its initial shortcomings, the military has recently begun funding a company to develop an anti-vehicle version of this foam-based weapon. The concept is to fire projectiles at vehicles, which would release foam that could block the engine and cause it to stall. This method would also trap the driver, and if executed properly, the weapon could immobilize the vehicle in an orderly manner.
Nevertheless, it's still uncertain whether this foam weapon will have better success in stopping vehicles than it did in stopping people.
2. Pepper Spray Drones for Breaking Up Disruptive Crowds
As warfare becomes more technologically advanced, the battlefield is shifting away from direct confrontation. It's now increasingly rare to see troops lined up face-to-face. Modern conflicts often involve engagements at a distance, which is a logical evolution of warfare. After all, troops are among the most valuable assets, and engaging from a distance keeps them safer. Consequently, drones have become an invaluable tool in modern combat.
The use of drones in warfare has gained so much popularity—and, from the military's perspective, been so successful—that it's caught the attention of the global community. While companies like Amazon are exploring drones for commercial use, some governments have different intentions.
India, with its large population and overcrowded living conditions, faces significant challenges in policing, especially when riots erupt. To address this, officials have been experimenting with drones equipped with cameras and pepper spray canisters, allowing them to disperse crowds remotely with minimal risk to the operators.
While pepper spray is the primary weapon they've used so far, it's likely that they'll soon test other crowd control technologies. And given the success of this innovative approach, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches on and adopts similar methods.
1. Israel Deploys the “Skunk” Gun to Disperse Palestinian Protesters
While many law enforcement agencies and military forces rely on pain, discomfort, or sensory overload to subdue protesters, Israel took a more creative approach. In the tense situations frequently seen in the West Bank, the Israeli military has used an unexpected tactic to combat Palestinian demonstrators: massive water cannons, but with a twist.
Traditionally, water cannons are used to douse protesters directly, pushing them away with a powerful stream of water. However, in this case, the water is laced with a nauseating, foul-smelling liquid, which is sprayed over the protesters to cover as much area as possible and heighten its impact.
The resulting odor has been likened to a disturbing mix of decaying food and rotting corpses. It’s a stench that clings to you for days, resistant to even the strongest shampoos and perfumes. While this tactic is non-lethal, it has attracted criticism from human rights groups for its extreme nature. Despite its effectiveness, with some victims saying that others avoid them for days after being sprayed, young Palestinian protesters insist that it doesn’t deter them from continuing their protests.
