Ice is banned from using tear gas, sad that it took teargassing a baby to stop it , Why Do Police Use Tear Gas When It Was Banned in War? - JSTOR Daily How Tear Gas Became a Staple of American Law Enforcement - JSTOR Daily What Is Tear Gas, And Why Is It Used on Civilians But Banned in ... A Brief History of Chemical War | Science History Institute Tear gas is banned in war, but police can use it on crowds at home ... View all Tear gas wasn't banned after WWII; instead, the use of chemical weapons, including tear gas, in international warfare was prohibited by the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which was created in response to the horrors of World War I, though the U.S. initially reserved exceptions for law enforcement and riot control. This protocol banned "asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases" and bacteriological methods, but its interpretation evolved, with the U.S. eventually ratifying it fully in 1975 after decades of debate over tear gas's use in Vietnam. Key Points: WWI Origin: Tear gas, along with lethal gases like chlorine and mustard gas, was first widely used in World War I, prompting calls for bans. 1925 Geneva Protocol: This treaty outlawed the use (not production or stockpiling) of chemical and biological weapons in international conflicts, stemming from post-WWI efforts. US Stance & Exceptions: The U.S. initially didn't ratify it, arguing tear gas wasn't a lethal chemical weapon and using it in Vietnam, but later ratified it with exceptions for riot control. Modern Distinction: Today, tear gas is banned in warfare but permitted for domestic law enforcement for crowd control, a distinction debated globally