There is a trade-off, there, however. Someone is more likely to use a non-lethal weapon than a lethal one, including police, etc - but non-lethal weapons are still very intimidating.

With enough non-lethal weapons, it might make abuse of government power more likely, not less - training mace sprays and tazers on protesters is more acceptable than just mowing them down with bullets, but disperses crowds just as well.