Rubber bullet

Rubber bullets are rubber or rubber-coated projectiles that can be fired from either standard firearms or dedicated riot guns. They are intended to be a less lethal alternative to metal projectiles. Like other similar projectiles made from plastic, wax, and wood, rubber bullets may be used for short range practice and animal control, but are most commonly associated with use in riot control and to disperse protests.^[1][2]

Such "kinetic impact munitions" are meant to cause pain but not serious injury. They are expected to produce contusions, abrasions, and hematomas.^[3] However, they may cause bone fractures, injuries to internal organs, or death. In a study of 90 patients in Northern Ireland, one died, 17 suffered permanent disabilities or deformities and 41 required hospital treatment after being fired upon with rubber bullets.^[4]

Contents 1 Riot control use 2 Self-defense use 3 Recreational use 4 See also 5 References

Riot control use

The rubber riot control bullet is part of a long line of development of less lethal riot control cartridges that dates back to the use of short sections of broom handle fired at rioters in Singapore in the 1880s.^[1] The British developed rubber rounds to replace the wooden rounds, where they were widely used in Northern Ireland.^[5]

Israeli rubber bullets are produced in two main types. The older type, the standard rubber bullet, is a 2 cm steel sphere coated in a thin layer of rubber, weighing 14 grams, while the new improved rubber bullet, introduced in 1989, is a rubber coated metal cylinder 1.7 cm in diameter, weighing 15.4 grams.^[6] These bullets are fired from a special adapter attached to the muzzle of a rifle, similar to those used to launch rifle grenades. The rubber bullets are loaded into the front of the adapter, and propelled with a blank cartridge.^{[citation needed]} Lethal injuries are often the result of head injuries caused by misuse.^[6]

Smaller rubber bullets are used in riot shotguns, and are available in a variety of types. One company, for example, makes both rubber buckshot rounds, containing 15 8.3mm diameter rubber balls per cartridge, and rubber baton rounds, containing a single 4.75 gram projectile.^[7]

Self-defense use

In some countries less-lethal guns firing rubber projectiles may be used by civilians for protection. In Russia, a variety of handguns are carried with specially weakened construction and barrel with internal lugs, making use of full-power loads and/or firing hard projectiles impossible, while rubber bullets just compress when passing the lug and so may be fired. Most common calibers are 9 mm and 10 mm with muzzle velocity sometimes almost matching normal handguns and bullets as light as 0.7 g.

Recreational use

Rubber bullets, powered only by a primer, are usually used for short-range indoor target practice or training, generally with handguns. They are intended only for target shooting, unlike paintballs or airsoft pellets, which are intended for use on suitably protected live targets. Rubber bullets, if used with a suitable backstop, can be recovered undamaged after firing, and reused numerous times.^[2]

See also

• Plastic bullet
• Wax bullet
• Simunition

References