Lethal in Disguise - Kinetic Impact Projectiles (2024)

Kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs) are bullet-like missiles used in various law enforcement contexts to deter through the pain of impact. Shot from firearms, these weapons were developed to emulate the effect of handheld baton strikes at greater physical distance.

The staggering variety of KIPs has led to an abundance of common trade names for what are often referred to as “baton rounds”. KIPs are often dubbed “rubber bullets” regardless of their composition: modern KIPs are most commonly made of plastic (“foam-tipped plastic bullets”, “plastic baton rounds”, “sponge grenades”, “Flashball rounds”), metal (“rubber-coated metal bullets”, “pellets”, “birdshot”, “flexible baton rounds”, “bean bag rounds”, “Super-Sock”) or other materials such as wood or rock salt.

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A projectile weapon works by transferring kinetic energy (energy from movement) from an object in flight to a person. While lethal projectiles are constructed to maximize the likelihood of death by penetrating the skin to compromise vital organs, KIPs are ostensibly constructed in such a way as to minimize penetration while delivering sufficient kinetic energy to produce significant pain and/or incapacitate an individual.

In spite of design efforts to reduce lethality, KIPs can cause serious injury, permanent disability and death if they impact critical parts of the body with significant force. To avoid potentially lethal uses of KIPs, manufacturers often establish protocols to avoid circ*mstances in which KIPs could prove fatal.

First, as the velocity of a projectile is greatest as soon as it enters ballistic flight (immediately after it is fired), manufacturers often establish minimum distances for use to reduce the impact velocity of KIPs.

Second, manufacturers sometimes issue warnings that KIPs should never be shot at vital parts of the body such as the head. However, guidelines on targeting parts of the body tend to be contradictory, with some saying bullets should be aimed in the torso “box” between the clavicles and hips while others note that the upper torso should be avoided and bullets should be aimed towards the lower legs.

In spite of design efforts to reduce lethality, KIPs can cause serious injury, permanent disability and death if they impact critical parts of the body with significant force.

Health effects

The health impacts of KIPs depend on a number of factors, including the type of projectile, the characteristics of the weapon it is shot from, the distance from which the shot is fired, the user’s skill and the inherent imprecision of the weapon itself. Although KIPs are ostensibly designed to minimize penetration and limit the force of blunt trauma, injuries from both mechanisms are possible.

Most KIPs are propelled by a powder charge, and are best considered a subcategory of firearm. KIP injuries, like all trauma and specifically firearm injuries, can be non-penetrating, where the pellet does not enter the skin or tissue (such as blunt force trauma), or penetrating, where the pellet does enter (and, in the case of perforating injuries, also exits the tissue).

Both types of injury exist with KIPs, and both can cause devastating injuries. The severity of injury from bullets is dependent on the missile energy on impact (related to projectile mass, distance and muzzle velocity), the missile design (including calibre and shape) and the characteristics of the target tissue.

The findings of a systematic review of medical literature indicate that KIPs cause serious injury, disability and death. Our study identified 2,190 people with injuries from KIPs; at least 12 of these individuals died from their injuries, and 941 suffered permanent disabilities. Ocular injuries, which made up 1,568 of the injuries reported (72%), were notably higher than in the previous report (16%).

The data demonstrates that severe injuries are more likely when KIPs are fired at close range or when multi-projectile KIPs are used. From close range, some types of KIPs have the same ability to penetrate the skin as conventional live ammunition, and can be just as lethal. When launched or fired from afar, these weapons are inaccurate and strike vulnerable body parts, as well as causing unintended injuries to bystanders – especially when there are multiple projectiles scattering from one canister. Therefore, there are significant doubts that these weapons can be used in a manner that is simultaneously safe and effective in any crowd-control setting.