Non-Lethal Weapons

In 2025, six European states — Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Ukraine — initiated withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines (APMs). This post critically assesses the rationale behind such decisions, warning against the framing of landmines as legitimate tools of self-defence. While the Ottawa Convention has produced significant humanitarian and security gains since 1997, APMs offer only marginal tactical utility, are easily countered in conventional warfare, and frequently backfire, causing friendly casualties and long-term risks to civilians. Their deployment imposes high financial, social, and environmental costs while generating devastating humanitarian consequences, including death, disability, and restricted access to land and services. Justifying withdrawal on grounds of deterrence sets a dangerous precedent, eroding international humanitarian commitments. Instead, this moment calls for reinforcing ethical and legal norms, recognising that the purported benefits of APMs pale against their enduring harm to societies, environments, and post-war recovery.

Abundant populations of elk (Cervus elaphus) are cherished game in many regions of the world and also cause considerable human–wildlife conflicts through depredation on agriculture and specialty crops, lack of regeneration to native ecosystems, collisions with vehicles and transmission of disease between free-ranging and farmed hoofstock. Management of elk varies, depending on current and historical agency objectives, configuration of the landscapes elk occupy, public perception, population density and behaviour of elk. Selection of the method to manage elk often requires knowledge of timing of impacts, duration relief from elk damage is desired, cost-effectiveness of management activities, tolerance of impacts, public perception of management strategies and motivation or habituation of elk to determine the likelihood of success for a proposed management action. We reviewed methods that are available to control abundant populations of elk that include lethal (e.g. hunting, sharpshoo...

Manually powered devices are becoming a thing of the past, and electricity has become essential not only for domestic appliances, but also in systems that control key infrastructure providing basic goods such as running water, electricity, or providing public services, for example in medical facilities. Progressive electronization is visible in military equipment and communication tools used in military operations. Dependence on electric power with the simultaneous interdependence of many systems and their automation means that a precise attack leading to the emission of an electromagnetic wave has the potential to long-term disrupt the operation of instruments of basic civilian utility and initiate a domino effect. The subject of considerations in this article are issues related to the use of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) in the implementation of military goals, both in armed conflicts and outside the battlefield, in the light of ius in bello. The study presents the mode of operation of the EMP and its impact on the environment. Next, the basic types of electromagnetic weapons are analysed, both classified as nuclear (Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse – NEMP), and non-nuclear (Non-Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse – NNEMP). Then, the focus of the subject of this study is transferred to issues related to international humanitarian law, in particular the basic principles of the law of armed conflicts, as expressed in additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949. The rest of the discourse focuses on the analysis of the compliance of the use of EMP-equipped instruments with the basic principles of international humanitarian law – the principles of distinction, proportionality and humanity. Threads related to the design, development and equipment of the armed forces with modern devices using electromagnetic impulse are also addressed. There are also references to the sources of international humanitarian law that restrict the use of certain types of weapons and methods of warfare.

Article 82 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions requires competent legal advisors to be available, when necessary, to advise military commanders at the appropriate level on the application of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). One of the most important fields of IHL application which requires legal advice is attacks on the enemy, which need to follow the principles of military necessity, humanity, distinction, and proportionality, and are also affected by the requirement to undertake all feasible precautions in order to avoid or at least minimise incidental harm to civilians (collateral damage). One of the ways to ensure that attacks on enemy remain compliant with the requirements of IHL is by adopting appropriate targeting procedures and tools facilitating avoidance or minimising collateral damage, such as the Collateral Damage Estimation Methodology (CDEM). Media coverage of the Russian-Ukrainian war has contributed significantly to the misperception of IHL provisions applicable to targeting. During the war in Ukraine, political declarations were made several times that a war crime had occurred in the form of a deliberate attack on the civilian object. However, the legality of a particular strike can rarely be judged based upon the results of the strike or via post-strike Battle Damage Assessment (BDA). The so-called Rendulic rule emphasises that military necessity, proportionality, and precautions are judged a priori, based upon by the information available at the time of the decision (circumstances ruling at the time) and not on the basis of information emerging after the decision had been made. Legal Advirsors' role in the targeting process requires them to possess at least the basic knowledge of the Targeting Process and the CDEM, general military expertise in the fields of Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs), as well as effects of the employment of particular weapon systems in given circumstances. This should be supported by thorough knowledge of IHL, in particular the practical aspects of its application in military operations. It should be about the intersection of legal and technical expertise.

Accessible summaryWhat is known about the subject? People experiencing mental distress have a high rate of contact with police in community crisis events. Police use a continuum of responses when managing situations involving agitation, aggression and behavioural problems. People experiencing mental distress have been subjected to Tasers as part of the police response. Following a number of deaths and numerous reports of injuries, concerns have been raised about the safety of Tasers. What this paper adds? Police use of Tasers in mental health crises is relatively common. Tasers are used in a range of settings including public places, private residences and healthcare facilities. People experiencing mental distress may be subjected to more use of Tasers than the general population. What are the implications for practice? Mental health professionals need to work with police towards greater understanding of the needs of people experiencing mental distress and to promote the use of non‐...

This article examines the use of 'non-lethal' weapons (NLWs) by liberal democracies to govern dissent in non-war contexts. We argue that NLWs can enable sensorial governance, specifically through sensory repression of dissent. Although accented as non-lethal, NLWs are better conceived of as what we term 'Weapons of Sensory Repression' (WSRs). From tear gas to sound cannons to skunk bombs and more, WSRs target the human senses-visual, auditory, olfactory, proprioceptive-and impose debility not death, thus enabling the use of technologies of repression against dissenting collective assemblies at lower threat thresholds than conventional weapons, arguably disincentivizing alternatives to repression. Since law enforcement in liberal democracies is not explicitly linked to political control and such democracies derive legitimacy from responsiveness to public opinion, it is worth highlighting what WSRs make im/possible in this regard. Empirically, WSRs create and confirm subordinate citizenship in liberal democracies for those who are already de facto lacking in certain rights. Emphasizing that liberal democracies renew themselves through challenges involving mass mobilization, we suggest that the employment of these weapons transforms problems of political change into problems of technological crowd management by dehumanizing those that propose alternative logics for dominant economic, nationalist or racial orders.

Taser was introduced into UK policing in 2003 to bridge the operational gap between use of incapacitant sprays and firearms. Use of force reporting in the UK indicates that Taser is relatively safe provided that it is used lawfully. Taser use can result in injuries and has been implicated in a small number of deaths. The latest version of the weapon, the TASER 7, has entered UK policing. The TASER 7 uses a novel probe that has implications for the medical community. A review of Taser medical effects and probe removal for TASER 7 are presented.

Cover image: This sagittal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan shows a cross-section of the brain. Neuroimaging techniques such as MRI enable a non-invasive measurement of the brain's structure, biochemistry or function and could provide a range of military applications, from new tools to screen and select personnel to improved learning and training paradigms.

This article traces some of the history of and logic behind the automation of weapons systems in relation to their planned deployment as an integral element of ‘homeland security’ in the US after the September 11th attacks. We focus primarily on unmanned combat air vehicles that have long been part of the Air Force’s R&D plans, but have now apparently found an event that justifies their production and deployment. What, we wonder, will be the effects on the urban landscape by using unmanned vehicles capable of ‘intelligently’ selecting a target and firing upon it, especially when the technology that allows these weapons systems to find the target as satellite coordinates relies on the same information technology that provides the infrastructure for ‘smart’ communities, and are already deployed in virtually all urban settings. By exploring the logic of speed and surprise that has driven the increased move toward and reliance on automated and intelligent weapons systems, we reveal how ...

Accessible summaryWhat is known about the subject? People experiencing mental distress have a high rate of contact with police in community crisis events. Police use a continuum of responses when managing situations involving agitation, aggression and behavioural problems. People experiencing mental distress have been subjected to Tasers as part of the police response. Following a number of deaths and numerous reports of injuries, concerns have been raised about the safety of Tasers. What this paper adds? Police use of Tasers in mental health crises is relatively common. Tasers are used in a range of settings including public places, private residences and healthcare facilities. People experiencing mental distress may be subjected to more use of Tasers than the general population. What are the implications for practice? Mental health professionals need to work with police towards greater understanding of the needs of people experiencing mental distress and to promote the use of non‐...

We report a case of potentially lethal injury associated with the use of Taser. A 42-year-old man was stopped by police for potential detention. He held a large carving knife over his epigasrium threatening to stab himself. With a view to achieving immobilisation, a Taser gun was used. On activation of the Taser, the subject suffered a 7-cm wide and 10-cm deep stab injury to the upper abdomen. In this case, activation of the Taser resulted in the contraction of skeletal muscles, flexors more intensely than extensors, resulting in the stab injury.

A variety of missions might be conducted under the auspices of operations other than war (OOTW). Each is very different, with different objectives and requirements. Yet all rely heavily on the support of military forces, particularly American military forces, for success. Few organizations other than the U.S. military have the resources or capability to provide the organizational and logistics support these missions need. 14. SUBJECT TERMS non-lethal, less lethal, peacekeeping, operations other than war, crowd control 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF REPORT UNCLASSIFIED 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE UNCLASSIFIED 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT UNCLASSIFIED 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 32

For the past period, the security challenges are increasing and in dynamically changing, which cause significant changes in the security sector. Besides the changes of the national or federal Security level, that is very important for the private sector to follow the security challenges and prepare for the new risks. After reviewing education and training level of the current private security sector, I would like to present the nowadays Hungarian private security sectors status and I will make propose to a possible and necessary changing direction.

1 Given the current face of emerging technologies in the media, and given the lack of prominence of stories and discourse about non-lethal weapons except in relation to domestic policing issues, one might wonder what direction the debate over non-lethal weapons as an emerging technology will take. This piece is designed to move along the conversation and think creatively and proactively about where the conversation needs to go. While non-lethal weapons have their own unique features, it is useful to frame the issues in terms of the questions and ethical problems that these emerging technologies raise, especially targeting, discrimination, and risk. Many of the same ethical issues also apply to other emerging technologies, framing a larger discourse about the future direction of war and the evolving ethical implications.

Cover image: This sagittal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan shows a cross-section of the brain. Neuroimaging techniques such as MRI enable a non-invasive measurement of the brain's structure, biochemistry or function and could provide a range of military applications, from new tools to screen and select personnel to improved learning and training paradigms.

One of the objectives of the Conducted Energy Weapons Strategic Initiative (CEWSI) project is to develop a Canadian approval process that could be applied to emerging less lethal technologies. A contract was let with Alcea Technologies to survey a variety of approval processes with the objective of identifying common elements that could be applied to the Canadian less lethal weapons approval process. The contractor identified the stakeholders, roles and responsibilities, governance framework, high level processes and supporting documentation for the Less Lethal Weapons Approval Process used by the United States and the United Kingdom as well as for the following Canadian approval processes: Medical Devices, Telecommunications Devices, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, CSA approval and the use of the Laser-Dazzler by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. This report presents the findings of the contractor's work, identifies the common elements among the processes and recommends building blocks that should be included in a Canadian less lethal weapons approval process. Résumé …..... L'un des objectifs de l'Initiative stratégique sur les armes à impulsions (ISAI) est d'élaborer un processus d'approbation canadien qui peut être appliqué aux nouvelles technologies dans le domaine de la létalité atténuée. Un contrat a été adjugé à Alcea Technologies afin que cette entreprise passe en revue divers processus d'approbation et ce, dans le but de répertorier les éléments communs qui pourraient être appliqués au processus d'approbation canadien relatifs aux armes à létalité atténuée. L'entrepreneur a fait l'inventaire des intervenants, des rôles et responsabilités, du cadre de gouvernance, des processus de haut niveau et des documents pertinents utilisés dans le cadre des processus d'approbation des armes à létalité atténuée en vigueur aux États-Unis et au Royaume-Uni. De plus, l'entrepreneur a recensé les différents processus d'approbation canadiens liés au matériel médical, aux appareils de télécommunication, aux véhicules aériens sans pilote, à l'homologation de l'ACNOR et à l'utilisation du dispositif d'aveuglement Laser Dazzler par les Forces canadiennes en Afghanistan. Ce rapport présente les résultats des recherches de l'entrepreneur, il répertorie les éléments communs parmi les différents processus et fait des recommandations concernant les étapes qui devraient être suivies dans un processus d'approbation des armes à létalité atténuée.

INTRODUCTION. This research paper presents the authors view on the essence of the problems of modern international law regulation of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and international arms circulation. The authors dwell upon various aspects of new technologies in the field of creating LAWS, outline the prospects for the solution of the current challenges, as well as give a legal assessment of the legality of new types of weapons, methods and means of warfare from the perspective of contemporary international law. The system and mechanisms of international law regulation of the military purpose products circulation are also analyzed in this scientific work.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The subject of this study comprises international treaties, international customs, general principles of international law and national legislation of states. The study also includes the analysis of international acts of different nature, reports and other documents of international organizations, nat...

The aim of this article is to identify differences in doctrinal projection at the level of the North Atlantic Alliance. The article has been designed as a comparative study of the doctrinal projections specific to information operations (InfoOps), mainly with regard to the doctrines and operations manuals of the United States of America, as the originator of most of these documents, NATO doctrines and domestic doctrines. On an initial examination of the three doctrinal projections, it can be observed that there are differences in the InfoOps approach, both in terms of surface elements, recognized by identifiable markers, and differences in perspective, which allow and encourage interpretation. There is therefore a need to clarify the nature of InfoOps and its correct understanding from a conceptual and practical point of view, and to achieve coherence between the doctrines for information operations of NATO member states and the allied doctrine.

The weapons that have self-controlling capacity and are equipped with the
technology to independently choose and destroy a target are called autonomous
weapons. Presently, autonomous weapon technology is developed to contribute to the
defence and offensive capacities of states and restructure their armies. However, there is a common concern that the quality of autonomous weapons to make decisions in the international arena independent of humans may cause a global security problem. In this respect, the United Nations (UN) supports disarmament by holding meetings and issuing reports to ensure that these weapons are controlled while under development. The present article intends to clarify the activities of the UN which aim to control autonomous weapon technology. The main argument of this study is that “autonomous weapons are capable of turning into a security problem at the global level and therefore disarmament measures should be developed”. In this direction, the study’s theoretical framework will be explained in the first part through the Securitization Theory of the Copenhagen School. In the second part, autonomous
weapons will be detailed and their possible benefits and threats will be evaluated. In
the third part, the disarmament efforts regarding autonomous weapons are outlined.
The final part, on the other hand, discusses the disarmament activities of the UN as
to autonomous weapons. In consequence of the document analysis method, it was
concluded that more data were required to establish a consensus as to the
performance of a wider disarmament activities under the UN regarding autonomous
weapons.

Cover image: This sagittal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan shows a cross-section of the brain. Neuroimaging techniques such as MRI enable a non-invasive measurement of the brain's structure, biochemistry or function and could provide a range of military applications, from new tools to screen and select personnel to improved learning and training paradigms.

Gray wolf populations were eliminated from the northern Rocky Mountains of the western United States by 1930, largely because of conflicts with livestock. The wolf population is now biologically recovered and over 1,020 wolves are being managed in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming under the federal Endangered Species Act. From 1987 to December 2005, 528 cattle, 1,318 sheep, 83 dogs, 12 goats, 9 llamas, and 6 horses were confirmed killed by wolves, and over $550,000 was paid from a private damage compensation fund. To help restore the wolf population, we used 22 variations of non-lethal control tools, relocated wolves 117 times, and killed 396 wolves to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock. A variety of tools, including regulations that empower the local public to protect their private property, reduced the probability of wolf-caused damage. This wolf population was restored, the risk of livestock damage reduced, and public tolerance of wolves improved through an integrated program of proactive and reactive non-lethal and lethal control tools. Reduced conflict increases the potential to restore wolf populations.

Gray wolf populations were eliminated from the northern Rocky Mountains of the western United States by 1930, largely because of conflicts with livestock. The wolf population is now biologically recovered and over 1,020 wolves are being managed in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming under the federal Endangered Species Act. From 1987 to December 2005, 528 cattle, 1,318 sheep, 83 dogs, 12 goats, 9 llamas, and 6 horses were confirmed killed by wolves, and over $550,000 was paid from a private damage compensation fund. To help restore the wolf population, we used 22 variations of non-lethal control tools, relocated wolves 117 times, and killed 396 wolves to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock. A variety of tools, including regulations that empower the local public to protect their private property, reduced the probability of wolf-caused damage. This wolf population was restored, the risk of livestock damage reduced, and public tolerance of wolves improved through an integrated program of proactive and reactive non-lethal and lethal control tools. Reduced conflict increases the potential to restore wolf populations.

Wolves were exterminated in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Therefore, livestock breeders and herders were unprepared when wolves arrived from Italy in 1993, the year after France committed to the European Union (EU) to protect wolves. Today, ~580 wolves, whose numbers are growing exponentially, are present in over one-third of France. During the last 10 years, livestock deaths from wolves have grown linearly from 3215 in 2009 to 12451 in 2019, despite France implementing extensive damage protection measures since 2004, including reinforced human presence, livestock guard dogs, secured pasture fencing and electrified night pens. The failure to prevent damage is clear. Wolves enter mosaic landscapes where grazing livestock are abundant and easy prey. Wolves are intelligent and opportunistic. As a strictly protected species, it seems they no longer associate livestock with humans and humans with danger. Half of the successful attacks now occur during the day, notwith...

Southern California bas experienced rapid human population growth during the past 50 years. As housing continues to encroach into and abut previously undeveloped areas containing wildlife communities, conflicts between homeowners and predators have become common. Traditional methods of control (removal) of problem animals are often infeasible due to legislative constraints, local ordinances, public opinion, and environmental considerations. This necessitates developing alternative approaches to facilitate coexistence and diminish the opportunities for negative interactions. lo the Defensible Space program, people are educated about local wildlife and provided animal behaviorbased methods to respond to animal incursions. Though the system is not always 100% effective, it bas diminished the overall number of complaints received and reduced most of the remaining complaints from panic-based to kqowledge-based.

The innovation, adaption, and use of new technologies on the battlefield have a history which precedes even the written record. How to identify the nature of their impact and regulate their use has been an ongoing challenge for centuries. Contemporary innovation, however, may well represent a shift in traditional paradigms, given that innovation is democratized, that is available to anyone with minimal constraints, and flourishes in unregulated spaces. How to describe emerging technologies and their impact on the battlefield is of considerable importance as humankind wrestles with the legal and ethical decisions required to insure that it is not overtaken by, and perhaps destroyed by, technology's unintended potential.

Angeles. A father and a teacher, he was committed to helping young people become their best selves. The courses that he took reinforced his social justice point of view and his desire to help young people think critically and to be upstanders, people who stand against oppression, key practices that are part of the Antioch legacy. It is tragic that such a person is no longer with us and no longer a model for the many students he may have influenced. We miss him.

A father and a teacher, he was committed to helping young people become their best selves. The courses that he took reinforced his social justice point of view and his desire to help young people think critically and to be upstanders, people who stand against oppression, key practices that are part of the Antioch legacy. It is tragic that such a person is no longer with us and no longer a model for the many students he may have influenced. We miss him.

Since ancient times, psychopharmacology has fueled armed conflicts and sustained fighting men. The presence of psychoactive substances in warfare has taken on two general forms: (1) combatants have consumed various intoxicants recreationally, and (2) drugs have been “prescribed” by military authorities as force multipliers for the improvement of combat performance. The chapter offers a general overview of these two modes of “war by intoxicants” yet with the main focus on the latter. It discusses the particular purposes of the military use of drugs, namely to inspire courage and provide relief from the stress of battle; overcome fatigue and enhance performance; lessen the effects of war on the psyche; maintain morale and cohesion; and kill the boredom and monotony of military life.

Aiming to draw a broader picture of battlefield drugs, it also explores another military role for them: as offensive psychochemical non-lethal weapons. Disorientation, indecisiveness, hallucinations, seizures, and other similar intoxication-induced effects offer potential military capacity. Thus, the efforts to weaponize toxic plants and psychoactive agents (such as atropine, opium, cannabis, or LSD) attempted to confuse, disrupt, or immobilize an enemy, or subvert and overpower their surrounding populations.

Gray wolf populations were eliminated from the northern Rocky Mountains of the western United States by 1930, largely because of conflicts with livestock. The wolf population is now biologically recovered and over 1,020 wolves are being managed in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming under the federal Endangered Species Act. From 1987 to December 2005, 528 cattle, 1,318 sheep, 83 dogs, 12 goats, 9 llamas, and 6 horses were confirmed killed by wolves, and over $550,000 was paid from a private damage compensation fund. To help restore the wolf population, we used 22 variations of non-lethal control tools, relocated wolves 117 times, and killed 396 wolves to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock. A variety of tools, including regulations that empower the local public to protect their private property, reduced the probability of wolf-caused damage. This wolf population was restored, the risk of livestock damage reduced, and public tolerance of wolves improved through an integrated program of proactive and reactive non-lethal and lethal control tools. Reduced conflict increases the potential to restore wolf populations.

Gray wolf populations were eliminated from the northern Rocky Mountains of the western United States by 1930, largely because of conflicts with livestock. The wolf population is now biologically recovered and over 1,020 wolves are being managed in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming under the federal Endangered Species Act. From 1987 to December 2005, 528 cattle, 1,318 sheep, 83 dogs, 12 goats, 9 llamas, and 6 horses were confirmed killed by wolves, and over $550,000 was paid from a private damage compensation fund. To help restore the wolf population, we used 22 variations of non-lethal control tools, relocated wolves 117 times, and killed 396 wolves to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock. A variety of tools, including regulations that empower the local public to protect their private property, reduced the probability of wolf-caused damage. This wolf population was restored, the risk of livestock damage reduced, and public tolerance of wolves improved through an integrated program of proactive and reactive non-lethal and lethal control tools. Reduced conflict increases the potential to restore wolf populations.

Notice that this sample is biased AGAINST the TASER in that the vast majority of the people who were shot by a TASER (86% in one study) were on phenylcyclohexlpiperidine (PCP). Note that people on PCP frequently break their own bones without notice and are infamous for their ability to absorb bullets without going down. The reason that the TASER is so highly effective is that the electrical signal penetrates the nervous system regardless of the placement of the probes. The entire human body is covered by a neural net that the AIR TASER uses to knock out its target. The probes do not have to penetrate the flesh or cause bodily harm to be effective because the AIR TASER T-Waves can penetrate approximately two cumulative inches of clothing.-Effective Target Areas Chemical Handguns AIR Sprays TASER For a bullet to be instantly effective, it must hit a vital organ such as the heart or brain. Similarly, chemical sprays and pepper sprays must hit an assailant in the face-no easy task in fast moving confrontations or windy environments. However, the AIR TASER can be used more effectively and with less training than other non-lethal weapons. In fact, the TASER is the Los Angeles Police Department's weapon of choice for those on PCP and the mentally deranged. APPLICATIONS OF TASER TECHNOLOGY The AIR TASFP-system is an ideal tool for the military police and peacekeepers. Imagine the results in such host,, environments as Haiti, Bosnia and Somalia. No longer would a soldier have the critical choice of firing an M-16 or not firing in a dangerous situation. The AIR TASER would simply add the proper instrument for the peacekeeping mission without removing the option of lethal force. The challenges of modem day warfare and peacekeeping missions are also common to the law enforcement community, particularly in light of the ever increasingly dangerous and litigious times. The streets of America are armed with extremely powerful and efficient weapons and present a serious threat to public safety and officer safety. Often, these threats come from individuals who may be unstable, chemically altered or otherwise extremely dangerous. Apprehension is required, but the methods of apprehension are under the careful and strict auspices of excessive force. Moreover, just as there is a low tolerance for American casualties in warfare in our society, the same holds true for use of deadly force by law enforcement. Law enforcement could use the advanced AIR TASER technology for street confrontations, chase and apprehension, temporary restraints (used either on the street or during incarceration), suicidal individuals with weapons, control of individuals, breaking up riots in prisons and jails, crowd control and hostage/barricade situations. Moreover, citizens themselves are using lethal weapons against one another to commit crimes in the heat of passion, during domestic violence, gang initiations and drive by shootings. Every year, firearms kill over 35,000 Americans. The availability of a variation of this nonlethal system could save thousands of lives by giving law enforcement and consumers a viable and effective alternative to a firearm. Already tens of thousands of consumers in the U.S. have purchased the AIR TASER system. It was not available to U.S. military and law enforcement by legal agreement until today-February 25th, 1998. Most of the readers are unaware of this situation. However, today begins the opportunity to answer the NDIA's call for effective and inexpensive non-lethal weapons. With this announcement of the availability of the AIR TASER for U.S. military and law enforcement use, there are now are multitudes of end users available that have vital interest in using this system or a variation of it. This includes the federal prison system, jails, federal and local law enforcement agencies, and the military police and its soldiers. Now there is an opportunity to join security firms, military contractors with secured facilities and the general mass consumer market in using the most effective, safest and inexpensive non-lethal system worldwide. Already, this system is used worldwide in over 50 countries for military, police and civilian use. AIR TASER, Inc. believes that more research and development is necessary for the future advancement of non-lethal weapons and thoroughly encourages the advancements in this technology. However, it is clearly evident that the military and law enforcement community has largely been denied one of the most successful and effective systems for non-lethality. The availability of this system as an "off-the-shelf" system for under $250 is now. While research and development continues to find the exotic and magic non-lethal bullet, the opportunities to use the AIR TASER should not be ignored now that this system is available for military and law enforcement use. The AIR TASER system is simple, clean, lightweight, low cost, effective. The system measures less than 7.5 inches, weighs 9 ounces and requires one 9-Volt battery. Its effectiveness for instant incapacitation is 86%, equal in power to a .357 Magnum. An individual can be armed with one complete system at less than $250. It is available with a laser sight. These are exactly the same parameters the NDIA Non-Lethal Conference II set as goals for industry to respond. Choices must be made. The military and law enforcement cannot continue to wait empty handed for the ongoing spending of money, time, and effort on new and exotic non-lethal systems. The need to arm these soldiers and police officers with an effective and inexpensive non-lethals is immediate. The AIR TASER is available now. Each day that goes by only increases the chances of unnecessary deaths and dangerous exposure to soldiers and police officers for not having the proper tools that are available today.

Gray wolf populations were eliminated from the northern Rocky Mountains of the western United States by 1930, largely because of conflicts with livestock. The wolf population is now biologically recovered and over 1,020 wolves are being managed in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming under the federal Endangered Species Act. From 1987 to December 2005, 528 cattle, 1,318 sheep, 83 dogs, 12 goats, 9 llamas, and 6 horses were confirmed killed by wolves, and over $550,000 was paid from a private damage compensation fund. To help restore the wolf population, we used 22 variations of non-lethal control tools, relocated wolves 117 times, and killed 396 wolves to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock. A variety of tools, including regulations that empower the local public to protect their private property, reduced the probability of wolf-caused damage. This wolf population was restored, the risk of livestock damage reduced, and public tolerance of wolves improved through an integrated program of proactive and reactive non-lethal and lethal control tools. Reduced conflict increases the potential to restore wolf populations.

In this paper we analyse changes in the circulation of advertisements of policing products at security expos between 1995 and 2013. While the initial aim of the research was to evidence shifts in terrorist frames in the marketing of policing equipment before and after 9/11, our findings instead suggested that what we are seeing is the rise of marketing to police as 'vulnerable warriors', law enforcement officers in need of military weapons both for their offensive capabilities, as well as for the protection they can offer to a police force that is always under threat.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is an iconic law enforcement brand. Canada's federal police force has roots in a colonial paramilitary tradition, taming a wild frontier and opening vast parts of the country to settlement. Its professional development since that time has broadened to include the fields of national security, public order crimes, and contract policing in certain provinces and municipalities. In response to the growing militarisation of policing in North America and police actions against indigenous peoples and protesters in Canada, it is recognised that the RCMP protects the political, economic, and bureaucratic nation state interests of government. The RCMP has a distinct identity and roles, matched by dedicated resources and expectations. Indications of militarisation may be discernible in upgraded weaponry, organisation and operational planning, specialised tactical units, and participation in external peace support operations. Performance of federal policing functions necessitates capable and suitably equipped police adapted to current and emerging security and criminal challenges. The RCMP still predominantly retains a law enforcement rather than a military character, thus occupying a space in Canada where the established military fears to tread.

Salamanders play an important role in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in eastern North America. Semi-aquatic salamanders are known to account for the majority of the vertebrate biomass in certain low-order stream ecosystems (Hairston 1987; Petranka and Murray 2001) where they efficiently assimilate energy and nutrients into biomass, converting 60% of the food they consume into growth and reproduction (Hairston 1987). Furthermore, stream salamanders often feed in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, essentially linking aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Because of their substantial biomass and foraging breadth, stream salamanders can regulate both freshwater and terrestrial macroinvertebrate communities through top-down effects in food webs, which in turn influence ecosystem functions such as detritus processing and nutrient cycling (Keitzer and Goforth 2013). To better understand the influence of semi-aquatic stream salamanders on ecosystem functions, assessments of their diets...