Why Use ALS Technologies' Less Lethal Munitions?
E scalation of force is a key consideration in the legitimacy of a self-defense shooting. Knowledgeable courts and review boards recognize the initial deployment of less lethal rounds as key evidence of intent to prevent lethal injury. Ideally a defender should be capable of sufficiently incapacitating a subject to allow the subject to be controlled while follow up actions are considered. As with any application of force, the user of a less lethal munition should immediately assess the situation and be prepared to take further action.
While less lethal munitions are designed to provide a defender with exactly this type of control, users should understand that the firing of any object at a living organism always has the potential to cause lethal trauma. Research on blunt impact weapons by the U.S. Army Land Warfare Laboratory in the early 1970's concluded that impact energies between 30-90 foot pounds is "dangerous", and that "severe damage" occurs if impact exceeds 90 foot pounds. "Severe damage" includes serious skin lacerations, massive skull fractures, rupture of the heart and kidney, fragmentation of the liver, and hemorrhages. To aid users in the proper deployment of ALS products, ALS publishes the effective ranges for all impact munitions, and also offers training in the proper use of less lethal munitions.
Every situation is different and ALS cannot control the conditions under which a round is deployed. Thus we strongly recommend that our users obtain proper training, and experiment with ballistic media to determine effective deployment strategies for their specific scenarios. With proper training and experience, less lethal munitions can be deployed to produce a shock effeect similiar to a professional martial arts expert delivering a strike. A key rule in the deployment of less lethal munitions is to never aim at or above the sternum unless lethal force is warranted. Less lethal ammunition can produce serious or lethal trauma when these areas are struck. After an actual deployment of a less lethal munition, medical assistance should be requested immediately as internal injuries not readily visible may be present.
This information should not be construed as proper training in the use of our products. ALS strongly suggests contacting us to arrange a proper training course in the use of less lethal munitions. We offer a wide variety of less lethal products and training, and we care about the success of every customer.