> the temptation to use a "non lethal" emergency device to break up the fight would be a lot higher than the temptation to shoot one of them
I think that if it's made clear that the firearm is merely "less than lethal" (it can actually kill or maim), but simply less likely to hurt by standers people will get the idea.
> You might be able to deal with it by declaring use of the device the same as using lethal force, with criminal liability for any use where deadly force wouldn't have been otherwise authorized.
Yep, that's the idea. Unauthorized use is prosecuted, the clear expectation is that these may only be used in the same condition that a firearm could be used (keep in mind that these devices are usually not only firearms in the legal sense, but are also NFA-regulated due to caliber and/or barrel length).
I would go as far and say that they may only be used on students who are armed (but not necessarily with a firearm). Now that might have the opposite effect is that they will be less likely to use them in a genuine scenario -- however, merely shattering the glass and grabbing one would alert other teachers (this would be another cost against teachers using them to break up a fight). So exact laws are tricky, but not improbable to device (much like there are regulations on when teachers may or may not physically restrain students).
Plus there's also a few other things: if you genuinely ever want to use a less than lethal weapon (or _any_ weapon) on a elementary child to break up a fight, some kind of psycho-metric testing should have stopped you from becoming a teacher in the first place :-) On the other hand, in high school or middle school, a fight (or other non-deadly confrontation) can be broken up by, e.g., P.E. or wrestling coaches (they will be slower to engage, but this isn't a life and death situation).
I think that if it's made clear that the firearm is merely "less than lethal" (it can actually kill or maim), but simply less likely to hurt by standers people will get the idea.
> You might be able to deal with it by declaring use of the device the same as using lethal force, with criminal liability for any use where deadly force wouldn't have been otherwise authorized.
Yep, that's the idea. Unauthorized use is prosecuted, the clear expectation is that these may only be used in the same condition that a firearm could be used (keep in mind that these devices are usually not only firearms in the legal sense, but are also NFA-regulated due to caliber and/or barrel length).
I would go as far and say that they may only be used on students who are armed (but not necessarily with a firearm). Now that might have the opposite effect is that they will be less likely to use them in a genuine scenario -- however, merely shattering the glass and grabbing one would alert other teachers (this would be another cost against teachers using them to break up a fight). So exact laws are tricky, but not improbable to device (much like there are regulations on when teachers may or may not physically restrain students).
Plus there's also a few other things: if you genuinely ever want to use a less than lethal weapon (or _any_ weapon) on a elementary child to break up a fight, some kind of psycho-metric testing should have stopped you from becoming a teacher in the first place :-) On the other hand, in high school or middle school, a fight (or other non-deadly confrontation) can be broken up by, e.g., P.E. or wrestling coaches (they will be slower to engage, but this isn't a life and death situation).