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The use of NOn-Lethal or Less then lethal ammo in self defense against another human, is only of value to Law Enforcement. The reason being, is that they have a lot more leeway in the use of their firearms then we do. They can pull and point their firearm in many cases that we can not.
Less then Lethal ammo, and even ammo claimed to be non-lethal can still be lethal under some circumstances.
The reason this ammo is not viable for civilian use is several.
1. The legal exemptions that you can pull and point your gun at someone in a threatening manner remain the same, with live deadly ammo, or less then lethal, or even an unloaded empty gun.
2. If you do shoot someone, the exemptions that allow you to shoot do not change even if your gun has less then lethal ammo loaded. Even with blanks. Because blanks can be deadly too. The ONLY thing it may save you from are charges of actual murder, manslaughter, or negligent homicide. You could still be guilty of many other crimes such as attempted murder, unlawful discharge of a firearm, or many others. Less then lethal ammunition won't negate any of those laws, if it was unlawful to shoot in the first place.
3.Someone can still be a threat even if shot with less then lethal ammunition, especially if they have a weapon. Depending on what they are wearing and their physical size, it is possible that it might have absolutely no effect. I have personally seen one very large man, wearing a thick leather coat, hit at least 10 times with shotgun bean bags with zero effect.
In regards to using less then lethal ammo against animals in Self Defense. Using this type of ammo in some cases can be beneficial. However, in most cases will still not change the law regarding the legal exemptions when you can pull, point and use your firearm against an animal. With some minor exceptions. There are times you absolutely should not use less then lethal ammo against an animal.
Keeping in mind there are two reasons (Beyond normal hunting) to kill an animal. True self defense to save the life of yourself or of another human, or of your family pet, or of any livestock (farm) animal that you raise as a hobby or for your livelihood.Then second reason is from damage to your physical property. There are caveats to these exemptions though, certain exceptions
1. I would not personally recommend using less then lethal ammo against a dangerous large animal for self defense. Such as a bear, moose, elephant, hippo. Etc.... this could anger the animal and increase the threat level greatly. We might want to use this type of ammo to save the live of the animal and scare it off, but research has shown that in most cases it is NOT effect in getting the animal to retreat and only increases the threat level. The legalities of shooting and using your weapon remain the same with less then lethal ammo, as if you used normal ammo. While blanks and flash/bang ammo can scare many off. The side effects can be negative. Especially if your not wearing ear protection, or your in an area. Flash bangs can very easily start fires. So can blanks.
2. use of less then lethal ammo against a smaller animal, and in some areas can be effective and safe. In these cases evidence has shown to be effective in eliminating the threat without killing the animal. Especially against smaller nuisance animals. The legalities still remain the same as if you were shooting with normal ammo. Blanks can sometimes be effective here as well. It works well with hogs.
I personally don't use less then lethal ammo at all for any self defense and protection of any and all life of myself other humans or my pets or farm animals. The legalities remain the same. So if it's legal to shoot, I'm shooting with the real stuff.
I do use less then lethal ammo, rubber balls. And pepper balls, against smaller nuisance animals when they are in my yard. I prefer not to kills them, and it does get them to leave. However, if they become a major nuisance, I will end their life. I have had to kill a couple of hogs. And a couple of coons.
I have written this for food for thought. I am not a lawyer. Every state, county, and city have different rules. So I would contact a lawyer in your area for further information. If anything the laws for less then lethal ammo will be stricter then what I have said, not more lenient.
Less then Lethal ammo, and even ammo claimed to be non-lethal can still be lethal under some circumstances.
The reason this ammo is not viable for civilian use is several.
1. The legal exemptions that you can pull and point your gun at someone in a threatening manner remain the same, with live deadly ammo, or less then lethal, or even an unloaded empty gun.
2. If you do shoot someone, the exemptions that allow you to shoot do not change even if your gun has less then lethal ammo loaded. Even with blanks. Because blanks can be deadly too. The ONLY thing it may save you from are charges of actual murder, manslaughter, or negligent homicide. You could still be guilty of many other crimes such as attempted murder, unlawful discharge of a firearm, or many others. Less then lethal ammunition won't negate any of those laws, if it was unlawful to shoot in the first place.
3.Someone can still be a threat even if shot with less then lethal ammunition, especially if they have a weapon. Depending on what they are wearing and their physical size, it is possible that it might have absolutely no effect. I have personally seen one very large man, wearing a thick leather coat, hit at least 10 times with shotgun bean bags with zero effect.
In regards to using less then lethal ammo against animals in Self Defense. Using this type of ammo in some cases can be beneficial. However, in most cases will still not change the law regarding the legal exemptions when you can pull, point and use your firearm against an animal. With some minor exceptions. There are times you absolutely should not use less then lethal ammo against an animal.
Keeping in mind there are two reasons (Beyond normal hunting) to kill an animal. True self defense to save the life of yourself or of another human, or of your family pet, or of any livestock (farm) animal that you raise as a hobby or for your livelihood.Then second reason is from damage to your physical property. There are caveats to these exemptions though, certain exceptions
1. I would not personally recommend using less then lethal ammo against a dangerous large animal for self defense. Such as a bear, moose, elephant, hippo. Etc.... this could anger the animal and increase the threat level greatly. We might want to use this type of ammo to save the live of the animal and scare it off, but research has shown that in most cases it is NOT effect in getting the animal to retreat and only increases the threat level. The legalities of shooting and using your weapon remain the same with less then lethal ammo, as if you used normal ammo. While blanks and flash/bang ammo can scare many off. The side effects can be negative. Especially if your not wearing ear protection, or your in an area. Flash bangs can very easily start fires. So can blanks.
2. use of less then lethal ammo against a smaller animal, and in some areas can be effective and safe. In these cases evidence has shown to be effective in eliminating the threat without killing the animal. Especially against smaller nuisance animals. The legalities still remain the same as if you were shooting with normal ammo. Blanks can sometimes be effective here as well. It works well with hogs.
I personally don't use less then lethal ammo at all for any self defense and protection of any and all life of myself other humans or my pets or farm animals. The legalities remain the same. So if it's legal to shoot, I'm shooting with the real stuff.
I do use less then lethal ammo, rubber balls. And pepper balls, against smaller nuisance animals when they are in my yard. I prefer not to kills them, and it does get them to leave. However, if they become a major nuisance, I will end their life. I have had to kill a couple of hogs. And a couple of coons.
I have written this for food for thought. I am not a lawyer. Every state, county, and city have different rules. So I would contact a lawyer in your area for further information. If anything the laws for less then lethal ammo will be stricter then what I have said, not more lenient.