Lawgiver - Definition and Overview

The Lawgiver is a fictional weapon used by the Judges in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD.

The Lawgiver is a deadly multi-faceted weapon, featuring manual and automatic focusing and targeting, plus an in-built computer capable of controlling its operation. It can, however, only be operated by its designated Judge owner, whose palm print is programmed into the gun's computer memory. Should an attempt be made by an unrecognised user to fire a Lawgiver, it is programmed to blow up in that person's hand.

The Gun has a maximum range of up to three miles and has six distinct settings which can be engaged by voice command:

• Standard - The standard bullet, with a fast fire rate and average damage.
• Heat Seeker "Hot Shot"- A general-purpose shell, propelled by the unstable element, 'Argon 886'. The heatseeker locks onto its target's heat source to effectively take down the target.
• Ricochet - A rubber missile, intended for human targets and is designed to increase in damage after it has hit a surface.
• Incendiary - Capable of setting its target on fire.
• Armour Piercing - Useful against robots, this bullet goes through all types of metal. So powerful, it can also travel through multiple perps (Mega-City One slang for criminal).
• Hi-EX - A shot even more powerful than a standard grenade. Caution is advised when using the extremely volatile and dangerous "Hi-Ex" round; the splash caused by the exploding bullets can just as easily harm those firing as the target.

Some publications replace the standard bullet with the Grenade setting but this is wrong as the Lawgiver always has a standard fire mode.