I've been asked (until people learned better) why the US military can't use rubber bullets the like British do? Why kill someone when you can just sting them, instead.
So tonight's Saturday Night Gun Pron (tm) features the (drum roll, please), The British rubber bullet!!!
Shown here next to a dummy 5.56mm round for comparison purposes.
It's a bit difficult to fire in most 5.56mm weapons, so it needs a special launcher.
This is not some little rubber pill, although the "baton" itself is a fairly soft and springy rubber, like that used in bungee cords. Accepted procedure calls for firing the round in front of the target, where it will hit the ground, bend into an arc, lose some velocity, and then tumble while on an ascending trajectory. The intent is to hit the target in the meaty part of the leg. Or sometimes between the legs. This is a munition that should not be trifled with, as one "activist" demonstrates:
Being practical, the Brits have designed this round to be readily reloadable and reusable. The propellant charge comes in a pre-measured plastic container, which also acts like a gas seal. You just have to pick up the baton, or, if you're lucky, the "yutes" will have thrown them back at you, saving you the effort.
I've taken this item in to work a couple of times (it's mostly rubber, after all), when someone starts ranting about how humane rubber bullets are, and we should switch over to them. I asked one person to close her eyes and hold out her hand. Then I whacked the palm of her hand with the "rubber bullet". She suddenly realized that was just a little love tap, and a direct hit can cause anything from crippling pain, to death if a vital spot is hit.
For those people who will never learn, and sneer at humane alternatives like the rubber bullet, we have the humble .22lr. Again, trifle with it at your own risk. The "rubber bullet" can leave you black-and-blue for days, the IDF soldier can put you on crutches for the rest of your life.
