How the US became a tear gas production powerhouse amid rising global unrest

Scenes of riot police firing tear gas canisters into crowds of protesters have become a frequent image.

With unrest intensifying in places such as Hong Kong and Iraq, the nonlethal weapons industry is expected to surge. By 2023, the industry could make close to $12 billion in revenue, nearly doubling its revenue from 2016, according to market research from Stratistics MRC.

So, where does all this tear gas come from? It turns out a lot of that manufacturing is happening on U.S. soil.

The U.S. is the largest developer, operator and exporter of nonlethal weapons, according to Stratistics.

Watch the video above to find out more about the tear gas industry and why the demand for nonlethal crowd-control weapons is on the rise.

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