Could this technology be a solution to the problem with gun violence?
The catch-22 of gun violence in the United States — mass shootings happen far too often, but citizens with guns refuse to give up gun ownership rights to protect themselves and their families. Despite the fact that shootings are covered nearly every day on the news, this gun violence hysteria further perpetuates the feeling that being armed with a fatal weapon is necessary for defense.
A potential solution? SALT guns, or “Safe ALTernative” guns.
SEE ALSO: Is the “American Dream” to Blame for Mass Shooting Epidemics?
Adam Kennedy and Andy Macintosh, owners of Salt Supply Company, created what they call a “safety device” as an alternative to traditional handguns. Instead of firing bullets, SALT uses carbon dioxide cartridges to shoot out .70-caliber pepper pellets containing a mixture of powdered chemicals and oleoresin capsicum, the chemical derived from ghost pepper that’s found in traditional pepper sprays. FYI, eating ghost peppers could kill you.
Presumably, in the instance that an intruder breaks into your house or someone threatens you in a parking lot, you could shoot a pepper pellet to temporary disable the criminal, giving you time to flee. Instead of shooting bullets with the potential to kill, the pellets create a peppery cloud around the target which causes lung constriction, temporary blindness, and severe itching on any skin exposed to the chemicals.
Additionally, SALT users wouldn’t have to be gun shooting professionals. Users don’t actually have to hit their target for the weapon to do its job — the pepper pellets explode upon contact, so shooting anywhere near potential intruders would envelop them in a peppery, painful cloud. While it certainly wouldn’t be a pleasant experience, at least it wouldn’t lead to death.
However, SALT guns have stirred up some controversy since the weapons resemble real handguns. There’s been a media frenzy over videos of police officers shooting civilians for reasons the public deems unjustified, so a weapon which strikingly resembles a real gun could cause some serious miscommunication. Ironically, although SALT is designed for non-lethal defense, it could result in even more lethalities.
For this reason, IndieGoGo, a popular crowdfunding site, immediately took down the campaign for SALT guns, despite the fact that the pepper-pellet guns had raised $30,000 in just 24 hours.
The makers of the SALT wrote on their website, “We created SALT because we needed a better way to keep our families safe after a tragic shooting took the life of a young man just steps from our home."
The intentions are commendable — to create a self-defense tool that doesn’t put other lives at risk. While there are certainly complications and risks that come with the marketing of new weapons, one thing’s for sure: society needs a safer option for self-defense than guns. Something must be done to stop the disturbing rate of gun violence and mass shootings today, but the right to feel safe and protect one’s family must not be sacrificed in the process.
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