"Are these "plastic" pellet guns? Are they "plastic pellet" guns?..."
"Just issue the oft feared 12 or 10 guage rock salt loads."
The "pellet guns" are paintballs with paintballs loaded with pepper spray type stuff made out of habanero pepper. It's like hitting somebody right in the face at point blank with pepper spray. Wonderful stuff!
I've fired rock salt loaded shotgun shells. They are only effective at absolute point-blank range. The energy dissipates almost immediately. Not useful for law enforcement at all.