Gunshot Wounds Caused by Fiocchi Anticrime Cartridges (Plastic Bullets)

Orbital and ocular trauma caused by the Flash-Ball®: A case report

“…7 The low morbidity/mortality of these weapons are questioned by several publications reporting the field realities. 3,4,6,10,11,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]22,23,25 Even when used in optimal conditions, these weapons represent a potential risk of severe injuries. The first less-lethal impact weapon utilisation was reported in civil riots in Hong Kong during the 1950s and 1960s with severe casualties.…”

Case-study of fatal gunshot wounds from non-lethal projectiles

“…The projectiles deployed by the Israeli forces were, however, covered with a 2-milimetre thick layer of metal. The risk of causing fatal bodily injury through the use of such plastic and rubber projectiles during these events was calculated as 1:16000-1:18000 and 1:4000, respectively [13,15,[19][20][21].…”

Injury pattern of the Flash-Ball®, a less-lethal weapon used for law enforcement: Report of two cases and review of the literature

“…The use-of-force continuum is a guideline, developed by and adapted to each law enforcement agency that classifies and defines the coercive force considered adequate to counter specific threats that might confront officers. As legally less-lethal weapons are less strictly controlled in many countries, they are also favored for self-defense (3,4). Injuries from these weapons will certainly become more frequent with their increasing use.…”

“…This property makes them interesting in law enforcement, where the use of force is often mandatory to neutralize combative individuals or to disperse riot crowds, but the risk of injury to the target, the officers and bystanders has to be kept to a minimum (1,2). In many countries, less-lethal weapons are not subject to ownership restrictions as severe as for other weapons, thus also making them attractive for self-defense (3,4).…”

“…Among the most dangerous would be the Anticrime Cartridge ® (Fiocchi Munizioni, Lecco, Italy), composed of plastic buckshot without any bag encasing fired from a 12-gauge shotgun. This ammunition has a muzzle kinetic energy close to 700 J, superior to many handguns, and consequently has a high penetration rate (3). But less-lethal handguns are also capable of inducing lethal injuries when fired at close range (4).…”