Editing Non-lethal weapon (section)

==Effects==
{{Expand section|date=July 2010}}
Non-lethal weapons have a design intent to provide an effect to reliably elicit a degree of incapacitation but without the typically lethal or permanent lasting effects of conventional weapons.  This design intent has often made them a weapon of choice for use by law enforcement during civil protests, etc.  Effect modalities vary by the technology being employed:  kinetic projectiles function by blunt impact which actuate pain receptors to elicit a behavioral change, lights affect visual perception, acoustics affect hearing, etc.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Notwithstanding their design intent, non-lethal weapons can still cause harm. This is particularly true with certain technologies that interact with appropriately vulnerable regions; an example is kinetic munitions on the head, neck, eyes, abdominal and urogenital regions of the body.<ref name="bar">{{cite journal|title=Death, injury and disability from kinetic impact projectiles in crowd-control settings: a systematic review | first1 = Rohini J | last1 = Haar | first2 = Vincent | last2 = Iacopino | first3 = Nikhil | last3 = Ranadive | first4 = Madhavi | last4 = Dandu | first5 = Sheri D | last5 = Weiser | journal = BMJ Open | year=2017 | volume = 7 | pages = e018154 | number = 12 | publisher = British Medical Association | doi = 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018154 | pmc = 5736036 | pmid = 29255079}}</ref>  As a result, some analysts describe "non-lethal" as a misnomer and recommend defining them as "less-lethal",<ref name="pdf">{{cite journal |title=Non-lethal technologies—an overview| first1 =Nick | last1 = Lewer | first2 = Neil | last2 = Davison|year=2005 | journal = Disarmament Forum | volume = 1 | pages = 37–51| url = http://piohelp.ru/myfiles/acoustic/pdf-art2217.pdf }}</ref> whereas other sources identify "non-lethal" as representing a goal of minimization of producing fatalities or permanent injuries<ref name="DoDD">{{citation |title=DOD Directive 3000.3: Policy for Non-Lethal Weapons | date = July 9, 1996 | author = United States Department of Defense |url=https://biotech.law.lsu.edu/blaw/dodd/corres/pdf/d30003_070996/d30003p.pdf | author-link = United States Department of Defense }}</ref> while not literally requiring minimization to a zero probability thereof.