#Crimethinc: A #Demonstrator’s Guide to Understanding #RiotMunitions

And How to Defend against Them
2021-01-04

"#ImpactMunitions

Police fire a wide range of blunt force projectiles from a variety of weapons. Manufacturers and police departments sometimes call these 'Blunt Impact Projectiles' (#BIPs) or 'Kinetic Impact Projectiles' (#KIPs). #RubberBullets are only one of many variants. They vary in size, force, composition, delivery methods, and lethality.

"The sales pitches that manufacturers make to law enforcement agencies emphasize the ability to obtain compliance from subjects via projected force with minimal risk of injury or death. All of the academic studies—not to mention our lived experience—show that neither of these claims is correct: impact munitions regularly #maim and kill #protestors and they rarely succeed at breaking up demonstrations. They’re even less effective at stopping social movements. Often, when one of us loses an eye or suffers a fractured skull, more people come out to the streets.

"Some of the more common impact munitions include baton rounds, large plastic, foam, gel, or even wooden #projectiles that are fired from a multi-launcher or occasionally a shotgun; rubber bullets, #MetalProjectiles coated in rubber or PVC; #BeanBagRounds, woven bags filled with either silica or lead, usually fired from shotguns; #Pepperballs, which are essentially paintballs filled with pepper spray; #FN303 rounds, a combination of pepper-balls and regular impact munitions; rubber balls, which are rubber or plastic or foam pellets packed into grenades to explode like shrapnel or shotgun shot; and, of course, the venerable #GasCanister (bearing chemical agents or smoke), which is not designed to be fired directly at protestors—but regularly is.

"Contrary to popular supposition, most modern impact munitions are designed for 'direct fire' rather than 'skip fire.' Direct fire munitions are for shooting directly at individuals, while skip fire projectiles are designed to be skipped off the ground into the crowd. Tear gas canisters are generally intended for skip firing at close range or firing at a 25-30 degree arc into the air for maximum range; they are not rated for direct fire. Some styles of baton rounds that split into multiple projectiles are designed for skip fire to distribute the projectiles more widely, while others are designed to be fired over the heads of protesters in order to rain chemicals down. Full-size wooden baton rounds and some rubber bullets seem to be designed for skip fire as well, but in general, skip fire is less accurate and less common.

"Baton rounds, stinger grenades, and beanbags hurt. They injure people. Occasionally, they maim or—even more rarely—kill people. Yet of all the tools used by the police, they are some of the least effective at stopping demonstrations. Unlike a cop within mêlée range, a baton round cannot arrest you. Unlike a cloud of gas, it can’t force you to disperse. Ranged impact weapons rely primarily on pain compliance. While this may work on individuals, pain alone usually cannot force a resolute crowd to comply. Standing around getting shot at isn’t always the right move. But the effects of impact munitions can be mitigated by protective equipment including shields, armor, helmets, goggles, barricades, and even umbrellas. Impact weapons rely on fear above all—and through mental preparation and mutual support, we can defend ourselves from fear. We can choose not to comply with fear."

Learn more:
https://crimethinc.com/2021/01/04/a-demonstrators-guide-to-understanding-riot-munitions-and-how-to-defend-against-them
#Resistance #Protests #Demonstrations #ProtestSafely #BePrepared