Ok, I’m not a bootlicker at all, but I definitely want to clear things up here. CS is banned for use in wartime between nations because deploying it runs the very real risk of escalation, especially if the belligerents both have access to not only CS but VX nerve agents. In the fog of war a unit hit with CS might hop on the radio and squawk out that they’re being gassed. The individuals within the unit aren’t going to know what they’re being gassed with, they’re just screaming “GAS GAS GAS!” and hurriedly donning MOPP suits. If you think your troops just got gassed with Vx, you very well might decide to utilize your own Vx reserves, which would then cause the other belligerent to break out their Vx reserves, and next thing you know you’ve got another Ypres on your hands.

This is basically what happened during WW1 by the way. The Allies were actually the first to use chemical weapons, and they used tear-inducing irritants. Proliferation happened, so it went from tear gas in 1914, to chlorine and phosgene in 1915, to mustard gas in 1917. Additionally, usage of gas became a standard part of a pre-attack artillery barrage.

Do I think cops should be using CS against peaceful demonstrations? No, of course not. I also recognize that CS gas is not really “inhumane and too horrible” in the grand scheme of things, and it’s ban from military use has nothing to do with its actual effects on people and everything to do with the horrifying potential for escalation its use creates. Don’t hit me with “well you’ve never experienced CS either, I’ve qualled annually in the CS chamber, doing jumping jacks and push-ups to keep me from holding my breath while an NBC weirdo lights up a CS candle and jerks it under his MOPP suit. I’ve also been tear gassed by cops during peaceful protests.