China says it has handgun that fires ‘non-lethal’ laser beams

China claims it has developed an assault rifle that fires not bullets, but ‘non-lethal’, invisible laser beams. The weapon would be capable of hitting targets 800 meters away.

Any human targets hit are charred locally. That leaves at the very least a big scar. Any combustible materials can ignite spontaneously by the weapon. It is not possible to kill a human target with a single shot from the ZKZM-500, but if the beam is sustained long enough, it will burn a hole in the body.

The Chinese Xian Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics developed the weapon. A researcher from this institute told the South China Morning Post that the pain associated with the carbonization is “unbearable.” The researchers have indicated that it would be inhumane to use even more powerful laser weapons.

The weapon would be completely silent, produce an invisible laser beam and cost fifteen thousand dollars each. More than a thousand laser shots can be fired with the integrated lithium battery, each laser beam lasting about two seconds. A partner with a weapons manufacturing license is currently being sought to make the weapon on a large scale.

The weapon will probably be used mainly in counter-terrorism actions, but a document would say that law enforcement officers can also use the weapon to counter illegal protests. For example, the laser weapon could be used to set banners on fire from a great distance, or to do the same with the clothing or hair of a protester.