The "Alternative" gun. (IMAGE: yahoo.com news) I was reading this article on Yahoo news about the Ferguson police dept’s search for a “friendlier” gun called the Alternative ("Stop, or I'll Alternative!!") that will be “less lethal” which is an interesting play on words. If it’s lethal it’s lethal. Something can’t kill you just a little bit and another thing kill you a lot. Anyhow, hairsplitting aside, it’s the replies to this article that have me riveted. It’s more entertaining than a reality show where people attack each other and throw things around! Of course we all know that the Ferguson police dept is responsible for the death of Michael Brown and famously was all over the news last year. Here is a sampling of some of the comments. MARY 3 minutes ago 0 0 So let me get this straight - an officer pulls his weapon to defend his LIFE or the LIFE OF OTHERS and instead knocks a suspect down. What is to stop the suspect from getting up once again and continuing the attack? NOTHING. And in those few seconds the officer's and others' lives would be in greater danger. Criminals who are bent on injuring or killing police officers are NOT GOING TO BE USING NON-LETHAL FORCE. You must meet force with like or greater force. Jason 1 hour ago 0 16 Rubber bullets were not made to kill people and yet they do. Will a thug respect this or fear it? Not likely. I think the best answer is to stop making villains out of the police and start having people obey the law and stop acting like S-bag that are invincible. Start addressing that issue and the need to bounce alloy balls off a gangster will be less. By the way, there is reason the demo video is a cartoon and not actual ballistics gel. This whole thing is good in theory...it should stay there. Chris K 2 hours ago 0 23 This is an absolutely awful idea. Only the first round is less than lethal. Every round after that would be a normal bullet I assume. What if there are multiple assailants? How does the officer decide which one gets the less than lethal shot and which one gets killed? Police have to be trusted to make the right decisions when they use their weapons. This "device" is just an impediment and invites additional litigation. Most importantly, it puts the lives of police officers in further danger. We wouldn't be doing this for members of the military in combat roles, would we?