Pentagon Rejects 'Ray Gun'

The Pentagon has rejected using what they call a non lethal weapon, the Active Denial System, that reportedly causes people hit by the ray to feel a sensation like their skin is on fire. The Pentagon is reluctant to use the weapon for fear it might be viewed as a form of torture.
 
The weapon was meant to be mounted on a Humvee or flatbed truck.
 
Previously, in 2005, Neil Davison, coordinator of the non-lethal weapons research project at the University of Bradford in the UK, in an article from New Scientist, stated concern about the ability to control the radiation emitted by the weapon.
 
From the article:
 
The experimenters banned glasses and contact lenses to prevent possible eye damage to the subjects, and in the second and third tests removed any metallic objects such as coins and keys to stop hot spots being created on the skin. They also checked the volunteers' clothes for certain seams, buttons and zips which might also cause hot spots.

The ADS weapon's beam causes pain within 2 to 3 seconds and it becomes intolerable after less than 5 seconds. People's reflex responses to the pain is expected to force them to move out of the beam before their skin can be burnt.

But Neil Davison, coordinator of the non-lethal weapons research project at the University of Bradford in the UK, says controlling the amount of radiation received may not be that simple. "How do you ensure that the dose doesn't cross the threshold for permanent damage?" he asks. "What happens if someone in a crowd is unable, for whatever reason, to move away from the beam? Does the weapon cut out to prevent overexposure?"