In an age where yearly hundreds are shot dead by police force, there has been a call for reform, training to reduce use of excessive force, and the persecution of those who used this force without rightful cause.

But what can we do? There are many sides of course. There is a call for disarming, retraining, giving stronger repercussions for discharging a weapon if the situation did not merit it.

Alternative Ballistics has a different idea. It addresses the weapon element of the situation, not the human one. They created an addition that goes on the front. A metal ball bearing catches the bullet and cuts its speed by one fifth. The impact of this ball is described as “being hit by a major league baseball player with a hammer.”

It does not completely curtail the lethal effect of a handgun. Simply cuts its odds to kill you and give the perpetrator better odds of survival.

Is this the right way to go?

Of course it is best to reduce the lethal force, that’s what the core of the issue is: excessive use of lethal force. And it isn’t a solve all, end all. It is a means if the police has three-seconds or more in a case of deadly force. But this does not change the problem of deadly force being carried out in situations where it is arguably not needed.

If it reduces death, by all means. But there are still issues to be addressed with training about carrying out deadly force.