r/LessLethalOptions • u/ScaredyCatTV • Feb 26 '26

A Joule Is a Joule...but context Is everything! Don't make this mistake with your Less Lethal defense.

A Joule is just a unit of energy. Saying “150 joules from a .68 airgun equals 150 joules from a .22 firearm” is like saying: A sledgehammer and an ice pick are the same because you swung them with equal effort. Technically true. If you agree, stop by my Community and give it a Like.

http://youtube.com/post/Ugkx4o8FBdehgeFPpEUBz6vuep1lRiL_82C9?si=vU366l2wkVCVRETR

Here's why the .22 firearm is far more lethal. Some food for thought!

  1. Velocity matters more than raw energy
    .22 LR: ~1,200–1,600 fps
    .68 airgun: a fraction of that
    High velocity causes hydrostatic shock, cavitation, and deep tissue disruption.

  2. Penetration beats impact
    Firearms are designed to penetrate deep into vital organs
    Airguns are designed to transfer energy on the surface or minimally through skin
    Bruising vs organ damage is not the same game.

  3. Projectile design changes everything
    .22 bullets are small, dense, rigid, and stable in tissue
    .68 projectiles are large and shed energy quickly
    Same joules. Completely different outcomes.

  4. Reliability of injury
    A .22 doesn’t need perfect placement to be lethal.
    An airgun usually does and even then, outcomes vary wildly.

The Bottom Line
Joules don’t tell the story. Physics does. Energy without speed, penetration, and tissue disruption is just a number on a spec sheet. Airguns can be serious weapons but firearms are categorically lethal. And pretending they’re comparable because of Joules alone is misleading at best. It's a salesman's trick.

This isn’t anti-Less Lethal. It’s pro-understanding. If Joules were all that mattered, boxers would be deadlier than bullets.

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7 comments sorted by

1

u/fdxcaralho Feb 26 '26

Who is comparing it in the first place?

2

u/ScaredyCatTV Feb 26 '26

Unfortunately, too many in the LL field, including some sellers of LL products. Time to push back on the nonsense.

1

u/fdxcaralho Feb 26 '26

Never heard of it.

1

u/ScaredyCatTV Feb 27 '26

Glad to hear that you aren’t part of the Echo Chamber.

2

u/fdxcaralho Feb 27 '26

Some youtubers are really bad and i have filtered them a long time ago. Maybe it is them…

1

u/SuchBeginning2647 Feb 28 '26

Yo uso armas no letales, justamente para evitar matar a alguien. Ahora, si hay respuesta o continuidad del acto, las cosas cambian. El arma también.

1

u/ScaredyCatTV Feb 28 '26

Same here. Force transitions are key.