Piracy on the high seas has been an economic problem for hundreds of years. Pirates steal goods and valuables from world shipping lanes. They also threaten lives and hold individuals for ransom. This was true over 400 years ago on the Caribbean, and as recent reports of Somalian pirate activity confirms, it remains true today: the toll piracy enacts on world commerce is significant, and it is inevitably passed on to consumers.

This plays no small part in the number of no fax cash advance and installment loans consumers fall back upon as prices rise faster than paychecks can keep up.

What can be done to more effectively combat sea route piracy without the necessity (and likely reciprocity) for deadly force? Paul Wagenseil reports for Fox News that the United States Air Force may have just the solution: the “Dazzle Rifle.”

Not a laser pen

Intended to temporarily blind adversaries, the Dazzle Rifle is useful in combating the speed modern pirates enjoy via the use of small, fast speedboats. With laser technology, they’re must easier to target, and the damage is temporary enough to neutralize threats and make capture easier.

Pirates are typically armed with automatic weapons and bazookas, making quick conflict resolution necessary if loss of life is to be avoided. Maritime unions do not allow shipping crews to carry traditional firearms due to matters of international trade, and even if they were to carry weapons, it seems likely that pirates would begin to carry larger weapons. Various systems involving fire hoses have been proposed, but a pirate band of size could neutralize them. Sonic weapons have only been effective on a sporadic basis. There have been many other devices that have yet to catch on, including foam, nets, electric fences and microwave weapons.

Should crews fight back in other ways?

Makeshift means of defense have been tried. In December, the crew of the Chinese cargo ship Zhenhua 4 held off Somali pirates for days with Molotov cocktails made from empty beer bottles. However, maritime unions encourage crews not to resist in such ways, as it can easily escalate a situation out of control.

Taking control of a situation quickly is where the Dazzle Rifle (aka the Dazzle Gun) comes in. Flashed in the eyes, the non-lethal beam makes it completely impossible for a pirate to continue to fight. They can’t hit what they can’t see, and if they fire wildly, they could injure other pirates.

Some are skeptical of anything but naval engagement, however. Captain George Quick, Vice President of the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots is one of them. “It’s not really up to the ship owners or crews to solve the pirate problem,” he says. “It’s a governmental issue. It’s why navies were formed in the first place.”

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