> Let us consider such a means - the 22-caliber rimfire rifle. <
I’ve read that the Israelis have been known to follow that approach.
Some years ago I did a piece on the use of the 22 for riot control. Family member Colonel Brian Tonnacliff now notes that the Israelis seem to have read my piece and acted upon it, since they are doing in Jerusalem at this time approximately what I suggested. The tactic was reported with some dismay in an English newspaper, which apparently disapproves of the Israeli need to defend itself from rock-throwing mobs. The 22 is handy, precise, and it can be silenced. It is not devastating, but it takes the rock-thrower neatly out of action.