Plastic bullet
[citation needed] Plastic baton rounds were invented by British researchers to provide a more accurate alternative to rubber bullets, and were intended to be fired directly at rioters in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
[7][13] An unrelated blunt, low velocity, small-calibre handgun bullet made of hollow plastic is sometimes used for short-range target practice (see recreational use).
[17]: 8 The L21 was replaced by the L60A1 Attenuated Energy Projectile in June 2005 due to tests showing that the L21 was more dangerous than earlier rounds especially when striking the head.
[11] Most of the deaths were allegedly[25][26][27] caused by the British security forces misusing the weapon, firing at close range and at chest or head level rather than targeting below the waist.
The first person to be killed by a plastic bullet was 10-year-old Stephen Geddis, who died on 30 August 1975 in hospital, two days after being shot by the British Army in west Belfast.
[11] The last person killed was Dominic Marron who was struck in the head in 1981 when he was 14-years-old, and caused him to suffer a fatal heart attack 23 years later on 7 August 2004 at 38-years-old.
[28] One of the most high-profile plastic bullet victims was 12-year-old Carol Ann Kelly from west Belfast, who died in hospital on 22 May 1981 after being shot in the head by a member of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on 19 May 1981.
[8][41] In August 1988, the Israeli army began using plastic bullets for crowd control by the military administration of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin explained the plastic bullets were intended to cause more injuries to Palestinian rioters.
According to the army rules of engagement the use of plastic bullets is permitted in case of a "violent riot", defined as: "a disturbance with the participation of three or more persons, including stone throwing, erection of a barrier or barricade, burning a tire."
From April to May 1989, during the early stages of the First Intifada, five young people were killed by plastic bullets fired by Israeli soldiers, four of whom were under 14 years old.
"[41] India's Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh has developed plastic bullets designed to be fired from conventional rifles as an alternative to using pellet guns for crowd control.
[9] These plastic bullets—not baton rounds—can be fired from AK-47 and INSAS rifles and have been used by Indian security forces for crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir in India.
[43] A anonymous source at the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs claimed that the use of plastic bullets is based on the list of non-lethal weapons approved by the United Nations peacekeeping standards for crowd control.
[7] A type of reusable plastic bullet intended for short-range target practice using conventional handguns is available, designed to be propelled purely by an ordinary cartridge primer.
