Glue gun

[YerK]

I remember reading about an experiment (long ago, in the earlier days of the internet) the army did with a type of high-pressure chemical spray gun that shot a mix of two chemicals out at high velocity. When the mix hit, it foamed into a very adhesive sludge, with the idea that it could be used to stop riots. Unfortunately, while it was part of a study to develop non-lethal weapons, it was quickly shelved, as a rioter could easily be sprayed in the face, and suffocate. I remember being very tempted to volunteer to be a rioter in the study until I read that fact and one other: it also turned out the chemical mix was a fairly intense skin irritant.

Oh, well. There went what seemed to be a very wild party idea.

[gluednylonfeet]

It was actually briefly used in an experimental capacity, from my understanding, although I do not know exactly where or in what capacity. The bigger problem was that cleanup was a serious issue. It took something like 20 minutes per square inch to safely remove from skin. The amount that would be needed to stop a grown human would have potentially required hours of cleanup for the victim, plus who knows how long for other areas affected (collateral stickiness?). Basically in the absence of some sci-fi quick-dissolve catalyst it would be a much more effective terror weapon than law enforcement tool.

[YerK]

Whoa! 20 minutes per square inch? I'm already fat and over 50. Enough of that stuff and I'd never get clean while alive!

[gamwam]

it was called simply "sticky foam" I think there's some videos of it in action somewhere on youtube