Received: from lsmls02.we.mediaone.net (lsmls02.we.mediaone.net [24.130.1.15]) by toucan.prod.itd.earthlink.net (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id SAA23596; Tue, 13 Jul 1999 18:00:19 -0700 (PDT) Received: from michael.we.mediaone.net (we-24-30-118-2.we.mediaone.net [24.30.118.2]) by lsmls02.we.mediaone.net (8.8.7/8.8.7) with SMTP id RAA02707; Tue, 13 Jul 1999 17:55:53 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <[log in to unmask]> X-Sender: [log in to unmask] X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.6 (32) Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 17:52:51 -0700 To: [log in to unmask] From: Michael Novick <[log in to unmask]> Subject: tecUK07-Scientist develops "stun or kill" gun for cops Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Scientist Designs Stun Gun 7/13/99 A scientist in London, England is creating a new type of gun that can be set to either stun or kill, Reuters reported July 6. "I've always been a huge fan of Star Trek and wanted to see if the knowledge I have of energy systems could make a gun that a police officer could set to stun, just like Captain Kirk does," said Professor Rusi Taleyarkhan. The new gun will feature a switch on the side of the firearm which would determine how fast the bullet is fired. The firing mechanism would rely on a more controllable chemical reaction of aluminum and water, which Taleyarkhan said would control the speed of a bullet leaving a gun. "Getting the whole thing going with just a low-voltage battery is the key to this process," added Taleyarkhan. "Anyone could do this with a few thousand volts, but we reckon our secret technology could do it with a couple of normal 1.5-volt batteries." The technology is being tested on prototype guns at the U.S. government's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. Scientists also are working on building a laser sight into the gun, which would measure the distance to the target so the gun could decide how powerful the bullet needed to be propelled. "If you put yourself in the shoes of a police officer or soldier, it's not very nice to have no option but to risk killing someone," said Taleyarkhan. "It's bad for the reputation of the police in a neighborhood or a soldier on a peacekeeping mission to kill someone. It's the same for anyone who has a gun at home for security. If you find intruders, you don't really want to kill them -- just incapacitate them so they can't harm your family. That is what these guns will do if they make it to the market in a few years' time." In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. People Against Racist Terror (PART) PO Box 1055 Culver City CA 90232 Tel.: 310-288-5003 E-mail: <[log in to unmask]> URL: <http://people.we.mediaone.net/part2001/index.html> Order our quarterly: "Turning the Tide:Journal of Anti-Racist Activism, Research & Education" End the racist death penalty! Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, Alejandrina Torres, and all political prisoners and P.O.W.'s in U.S. prisons!