Ferguson Police tests 'less lethal' gun device 6 months after Michael Brown's death

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A “less lethal” gun device developed by Alternative Ballistics has been introduced to the Ferguson police department, six months after the storm generated by the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown.

The bright orange attachment could be added to a gun so that the first bullet fired from the weapon would mesh with a ball-like projectile designed not to pierce the skin but instead to incapacitate. “The result,” the gun’s creators say, “is serious pain with less internal injury to the body than a conventional bullet.”

The gun debuted to mixed reviews as a few officers tested out the less-lethal option. “It gives another option,” said one of the testers, Al Eickhoff. “I really liked it … You are always looking to save a life, not take a life.”

But Major Neil Franklin pointed out the problems with having only the first shot be less-lethal. “It’s only one shot. We don’t train to shoot once like that, most police agencies train to shoot two shots very quickly because a lot of times the first shot may be off target,” he said.

Steven Hawkins, the executive director of Amnesty International, has called for a safety review of the new device.

Watch the full report on the proposed “less lethal” gun below:

“Amnesty International recognizes the importance of having available a range of tools to minimize the risk of death and injury inherent in police use of firearms,” Hawkins said. “We have concerns, however, about the way so-called ‘less than lethal’ weapons may be used, which can result in serious injury and sometimes death.”

“Accordingly, there should be a safety review of these weapons before they’re handed to officers in Ferguson, or anywhere else, and related policies must be in line with international standards for the use of weapons,” Hawkins said.