it can go terribly wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis

Surely there must be other possible substances that are available that can be used.

We can invent all sorts of destructive weapons and biologicals - (i.e., weapons of mass destruction) and we can't invent some sort of non-toxic sleeping gas that would prevent such death and injury because law enforcement had to storm the venue?

Are you aware of anything that could be pumped through a ventilation system that is non-toxic that will just lay people out quickly. Understand it would probably have to lay everyone down in a matter of seconds.

I suppose we can learn from the Russians' mistakes and get immediate medical attention to the anesthetized hostages - not leave them to drown in the rain etc.

I don't think there is a "sleeping gas" that would act quick enough to prevent the hostage taker from killing one or more hostages.

The more you up the dosage, the worse the hostages themselves will be, especially if they are children, elderly or have some form of chronic illness, like asthma.

We had tanks shoot teargas into the compound in the hopes it might root them out. Somehow a fire started (I honestly think it was started by the Davidians themselves going into a suicide mentality, but that's just my opinion) and dozens of people still died.

I mean it makes a lot more sense than going in like the Russians did in Beslan and going in with lethal force and killing almost as many hostages as hostage takers, but still you don't know how things will ultimately end up.

It's odd how arch-Republicans refuse to admit that the Branch Davidians torched themselves. They were crazy, first of all. Secondly, did they have a gas fight for fun or something? Someone doesn't just dump gas everywhere without intending to burn everything. Pretty silly. Even if the government did spark the fire, they were going to burn themselves up anyways.

We don't know what happens when somebody passes out. We don't know, which chemical or biological reactions lead to the brain shutting down.

We know what substances we have to apply and how, but we don't know why they work and we cannot calculate theoretically what happens when we deviate from the established medical protocols.
Will the hostage-takers slowly get dizzy over the course of an hour? Will everybody in this room die from overdose after a minute?

A - It's not efficient or tactical. In the Moscow theater siege, it not only caused the terrorists to panic, but also caused friendlies to fall asleep. While some of the terrorists fell asleep, others were still fighting. Also, realizing what is happening, a gunman might kill everyone anyways.

B - The police don't have canisters of the stuff just lying around.

C - You need a delivery method for the gas that will actually work. Getting the gas set up and setting something to pump it through a building's ventilation system takes time and resources.

D - Putting people to sleep with gas can be pretty dangerous on its own.

A. There was only one terrorist

B. Sure - now they don't have canisters of this stuff lying around - but if something was available that worked and was non-toxic, quick acting and efficient - it could be a component in vehicles to handle situations such as this.

C. This hostage situation played out overnight - I don't know exactly how many hours this lasted but it was probably over 12 hours. Surely - as negotiations are going on with the hostage taker and they are preoccupying his attention - other police could be working to pipe gas into the building - either through a ventilation system or by perhaps some other discrete method. Being a gas - it would seem that all it would take is some sort of flexible tubing inserted in the right place that is propelled into the room or building slowly - such that it takes effect in a insidious and unnoticeable manner. I mean this situation might have ended better if they just let it play out longer and the hostage taker became sleepy on his own. Being the only hostage taker in this case - at some time it would catch up with him and he would need some sleep anyway.

D. Again - I'm asking if there isn't some sort of non-toxic gas that could be used or invented that could be used in such situations. The Russian situation that was cited above - used a toxic gas. Tear gas in the Waco situation is corrosive and possibly flammable based on the way it is incorporated into the situation. I'm looking for something that can be non- toxic, unnoticeable, insidious and effective. I can't believe that with all the brain power we have of creating weapons of mass destruction that we can't invent something that would work for such situations.

Also - if potential hostage takers would know that such a thing was available in might be a deterrent to prevent such hostage taking in the first place.

Now I might be labeled naive for my comments - but it doesn't seem that far out of the ordinary that such an item could exist.

You have to take into account people's weight and dosage or otherwise you could kill them. I don't think a completely non-toxic and safe sleeping gas exists. Someone should invent it and become a billionaire.

I think it might be like applying the same dose of anesthesia to people regardless of height, weight, condition of their health etc. You may end up killing some people.

All you need is a bunch of narcan and some ambu bags.

possibly because I'm not a chemist.

I'm not a chemist either. Did not mean to offend you. People were offering their opinions and I gave mine. It is a bad idea anyway as too many people would die. Although death from carfentanil would be quick and euphoric!

but those substance names are totally unknown to those of us not in your profession, which I assume is in the medical area.
Though it did get me to look them up and get a rough idea of what they are.

Most places can be very easily ventilated, and the gas expelled. Using more concentrated gasses to avoid that can end disastrously, like it did in Moscow.

If they're going to use some sort of gas, it'd have to be very rapidly followed by authorities moving in to subdue the attacker.