Plastic bullet
| Year | Rubber bullets | Plastic bullets |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 238 | |
| 1971 | 16,752 | |
| 1972 | 23,363 | |
| 1973 | 12,724 | 42 |
| 1974 | 2,612 | 216 |
| 1975 | 145 | 3,556 |
| 1976 | 3,464 | |
| 1977 | 1,490 | |
| 1978 | 1,734 | |
| 1979 | 1,271 | |
| 1980 | 1,231 | |
| 1981 | 29,665 | |
| Total | 55,834 | 42,669 |
|
Total rubber and plastic bullets
98,503 |
||
A plastic bullet or plastic baton round (PBR) is a less-lethal projectile fired from a specialised gun. Although designed as a non-lethal weapon, they have caused a number of deaths. They are generally used for riot control. Plastic bullets were invented in 1973 by the British security forces for use against rioters in Northern Ireland. They were developed to replace their rubber bullets in an attempt to reduce fatalities. If misused they can still cause fatal injury.
An unrelated small-calibre handgun bullet made of plastic is sometimes used for short range target practice (see recreational use).
The plastic bullet was developed as a replacement for rubber bullets in the United Kingdom.
The first plastic bullet was the L5 Plastic Baton Round. It was developed by the British security forces for use against rioters in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. They were to replace rubber bullets, which had been used in Northern Ireland since 1970. Rubber bullets were meant to be fired below waist level, to reduce the risk of lethal injury. However, they were often fired directly at people from close range, which resulted in three people being killed and many more badly injured. If fired too low, rubber bullets would ricochet uncontrollably from the ground. The plastic bullet could be fired directly at targets. It was intended to be a projectile of similar effect on its target as the rubber bullet, but with less risk of ricochet and less risk of serious injury or death.
The first plastic bullet was made of PVC, was 89 mm (3.5 inches) long and 38 mm (1.5 in.) in diameter, and weighed approximately 131 g (4.6 oz). The weight was similar to the rubber bullet but the new projectile had a lower muzzle velocity.
98,503
The plastic bullet was first used in 1973 by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), Northern Ireland's police force, and by 1975 it had replaced the rubber bullet. From 1973 to 1981, just over 42,600 plastic bullets were fired in Northern Ireland. By 2005, 125,000 baton rounds had been fired, most of them plastic bullets.
Shortly after their introduction it was discovered they were lethal at certain ranges. Fourteen people were killed by plastic bullet impacts; half of them were children and all but one were from the Catholic community. Most of the deaths were allegedly 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. In 2013 however, Ministry of Defense papers declassified from 1977 indicated in one case that a single round was fired because the lives of the soldiers were believed to be in danger, and for this reason the MoD was not prepared to accept that the soldiers acted wrongly. The first person to be killed by a plastic bullet impact was 10-year-old Stephen Geddis, who died on 30 August 1975, two days after being struck in west Belfast. One of the most high-profile victims was 12-year-old Carol Ann Kelly from west Belfast, who died on 22 May 1981, having been struck by a plastic bullet fired by a member of the Royal Fusiliers. In 1982, the European Parliament called on member states to ban the use of plastic bullets. However, they continued to be used by the British security forces in Northern Ireland. In 1984 the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets was founded, calling for plastic bullets to be banned in Northern Ireland. One of its founders, Emma Groves, had been permanently blinded in 1971 when a British soldier shot her in the face with a rubber bullet. During rioting in July 1997, a 14-year-old boy was struck in the head by a plastic bullet and spent three days in a coma.
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