Ray Gun - Crowd Control

             When the Ray Gun was created by the Pentagon in 2006 the military was interested in making a non lethal crowd control machine. Being attached to a truck the Ray Gun looks nothing like an actual gun. In all actuality the Ray Gun is a large dish which can fire 100,000 watt charge half a mile at a target. The electromagnetic charge sends a painfully powerful heat wave at targets instantaneously. The Pentagon’s goal was to use this mobile unit in Iraq and other hostile areas to control people. By using the Ray Gun in Iraq the military could create a safe perimeter between soldiers and possible hostiles. If a person was persistent in moving forward while getting hit by the Ray Gun they were an obvious threat. Even though this impressive machine could help keep U.S. soldiers safe from possible threats the military is uninterested in using it. Only getting $ 13.5 million out of the defense budget the Ray Gun cannot experience field testing or further development. The military wants field testing to see if it will work so that they can fund it, but the producer needs money to develop it to proceed with field testing. This obstacle is unavoidable because of the military’s lack of interest in creating non lethal weapons.

              When Sue Payton the Pentagon’s official for the Ray Gun was introduced to the machine she was astounded. After experiencing the powerful effects of the gun she was compelled to produce the machine. However when she ran into problems with the Iraq war, the machine was put on hold. After instances of prisoners being tortured the government realized that the machine could be used as a torture device if used in access. "We have war fighters that are in harm's way and you know they don't want to kill innocent people. You pick between a bullet and a bullhorn, not a good choice." says Sue Payton. Even though the machine would be crucial in Iraq when dealing with hostile crowds of people, the machine has many flaws. One of the main problems with the Ray Gun is it’s vulnerability. This tool would be useful in non hostile areas where there is no fighting. If in the battle field the dish could easily be damaged by debris or bullets. This would be useless for the military due to the expensive and large unit that would have to be replaced. Other than in the battle field the Ray Gun would be very effective in a riot or protest situation. Being able to affect people in a more logical way the Ray Gun would help keep order and safety. The Ray Gun is so powerful that people can only take a few seconds of it’s energy because it is so painful. This painful experience can dictate people’s behavior because if they don’t cooperate with the user’s demands, then they will be shot again. Police would be able to control riots and groups of people without getting close to them or inflicting harm.