Editing Non-lethal weapon (section)

{{Short description|Weapon intended to be less likely to kill a living target than conventional weapons}}
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[[File:Sprayed in the face with Oleoresin Capsicum before undergoing the OC spray certification course being held aboard the Marine Corps Base Camp.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|An instruction on oleoresin capsicum ([[pepper spray]]) at [[Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune]]]]

'''Non-lethal weapons''', also called '''nonlethal weapons''', '''less-lethal weapons''',<ref>Michigan State Police Training Manual 2012 (pp. 68-70): same effective definition for "Less-lethal weapons" as what DoDD 3000.03 (2013) has for "Non-lethal weapons"</ref><ref name="UN Peacekeeping PDT 2015"/><ref>{{Cite book|title=United Nations Human Rights Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement|date=2020|url=https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CCPR/LLW_Guidance.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Use of force, firearms and less lethal weapons|date=2020 |publisher=College of Policing |access-date=26 June 2020|url=https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/armed-policing/use-of-force-firearms-and-less-lethal-weapons}}</ref> '''less-than-lethal weapons''', '''non-deadly weapons''', '''compliance weapons''', or '''pain-inducing weapons''' are [[weapon]]s intended to be [[lethality|less likely to kill a living target]] than [[conventional weapon]]s such as [[knife|knives]] and [[firearm]]s with live [[ammunition]]. It is often understood that unintended or incidental casualties are risked wherever force is applied; however, non-lethal weapons minimise the risk of casualties (e.g. serious/permanent injuries or death) as much as possible. Non-lethal weapons are used in [[police|policing]] and [[combat]] situations to limit the [[Conflict escalation|escalation of conflict]] where employment of lethal force is prohibited or undesirable, where rules of engagement require minimum casualties, or where policy restricts the use of conventional force. However, these weapons occasionally cause serious injuries or death due to allergic reactions, improper use and/or other factors; for this reason the term "less-lethal" has been preferred by some organizations as it describes the risks of death more accurately than the term "non-lethal", which some have argued is a [[misnomer]].<ref name="UN Peacekeeping PDT 2015">{{Cite book|title=Less Than Lethal Weapons, UN Peacekeeping PDT Standards for Formed Police Units 1st edition 2015|date=2015|url=http://repository.un.org/bitstream/handle/11176/387390/Less%20Than%20Lethal%20Weapons.pdf#page=7|access-date=2020-06-05|archive-date=2021-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816223413/http://repository.un.org/bitstream/handle/11176/387390/Less%20Than%20Lethal%20Weapons.pdf#page=7|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-non-lethal-weapon-1021/ |title=There's No Such Thing as a 'Non-Lethal' Weapon |publisher=Vice.com |date= 21 October 2014|access-date=2022-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15839010|pmid = 15839010|year = 2005|title = No such thing as a non-lethal weapon|journal = New Scientist|volume = 185|issue = 2489|page = 3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2015/12/01/a-new-documentary-challenges-tasers-corporate-mythology/?comments=1 |title=Taser and the Myth of Non-Lethal Weaponry – The Intercept |publisher=Theintercept.com |date=2015-12-01 |accessdate=2022-05-05}}</ref>

Non-lethal weapons may be used by conventional military in a range of missions across the [[Use of force continuum|force continuum]]. They may also be used by [[military police]], by [[United Nations]] forces, and by [[Military occupation|occupation forces]] for [[peacekeeping]] and stability operations.  Non-lethal weapons may also be used to channelize a battlefield, control the movement of civilian populations, or to limit civilian access to restricted areas (as they were utilized by the [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]]'s [[1st Marine Expeditionary Force]] in [[Somalia]] in 1995). Similar weapons, tactics, techniques and procedures are employed by police forces domestically in [[riot control]], prisoner control, [[crowd control]], refugee control, and [[self-defense]], where the terminology of "less-than-lethal" is often used.