Baton round

Baton rounds, also known as kinetic impact projectiles, are a less lethal alternative to traditional bullets, typically used for riot control .

Common types of baton round have included the:

  • Bean bag round, a less-lethal projectile fired from a normal 12-gauge shotgun
  • Plastic baton round or plastic bullet, a less-lethal projectile fired from a specialised gun
  • Rubber baton round, commonly called the rubber bullet, a rubber-coated projectile with a metal or ceramic core
  • Wooden baton round, also called a wooden bullet
  • Foam baton round, also called a sponge grenade

Such "kinetic impact munitions" are meant to cause pain but not serious injury. However, they can cause contusions, abrasions, bruises, bone fractures, injuries to internal organs, and death.

History

The use of baton rounds dates back to the 1880s, when Hong Kong police used fired sections of broom handle at demonstrators in Singapore.[1] The Hong Kong police developed wooden baton rounds, but they were liable to splinter and cause wounds.

Rubber bullets were invented by the British Ministry of Defence for use against rioters in Northern Ireland during The Troubles,[2] and were first used there in 1970.[3]

Rubber bullets tend to bounce uncontrollably, [4] and have largely been replaced by other types of baton rounds, including plastic bullets, which were invented in 1973 by the British security forces - also for use against demonstrators in Northern Ireland.

Injuries

In a 1975 study of injuries in 90 patients injured by rubber bullets, 1 died, 17 suffered permanent disabilities or deformities and 41 required hospital treatment after being fired upon with rubber baton rounds.[5] A review of studies covering multiple different munition types/designs, which covered 1,984 people injured by "kinetic impact projectiles" and found that 53 died, plus 300 permanently disabled.[6] Baton rounds can cause blindness as shown by their use by police in the 2019-2020 Chilean protests.[7][8][9] During the first 3-4 months of protests in Chile rubber bullets contributed to have a toll of 427 persons with eye injuries,[9] an extremely high number when comparing to other protests or conflict zones in the world.[8]

See also
  • Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people

References
  1. Emily Yoffe (Oct 4, 2000). "What Are Rubber Bullets?". Slate.
  2. New Scientist – 3 February 1983. p.292
  3. A Chronology of the Conflict - August 1970. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
  4. Hogg, Ian V. (1985). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ammunition. London: The Apple Press. ISBN 1-85076-043-8.
  5. Millar, R.; Rutherford, W. H.; Johnston, S.; Malhotra, V. J. (1975). "Injuries caused by rubber bullets: A report on 90 patients". British Journal of Surgery. 62 (6): 480–486. doi:10.1002/bjs.1800620613. PMID 1148650. Archived from the original on 2013-01-06.
  6. Haar RJ; Iacopino V; Ranadive N (2017). "Death, injury and disability from kinetic impact projectiles in crowd-control settings: a systematic review". BMJ Open. 7 (12). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018154. Archived from the original on 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  7. Montes, Rocío (21 November 2019). "La policía de Chile suspende el uso de perdigones tras herir a mil personas" (in Spanish). El País. Archived from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  8. "Récord mundial de lesiones oculares durante protestas en Chile" (in Spanish). Cooperativa. 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  9. McSherry, J. Patrice (24 February 2020). "Chile's Struggle to Democratize the State". NACLA. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
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