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A blast ball, also known as a tear gas ball, rubber ball grenade, or stinger grenade, is a ball-shaped, rubber coated,
Blast balls can be used against aggressive crowds during situations in which rioters significantly outnumber
A blast ball, also known as a tear gas ball, rubber ball grenade, or stinger grenade, is a ball-shaped, rubber coated, less-lethal
Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than conventional ...
grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
designed for law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
and riot control
Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is spontaneous and irration ...
applications. A blast ball is similar to a stun grenade
A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunderflash, or sound bomb, is a Non-lethal weapon, less-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy's senses. Upon detonation, they produce a blinding flash of light a ...
in that, when detonated, it generates a loud noise and bright light; however, it also releases a chemical irritant (usually pepper gas or tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
) and occasionally also rubber pellets or fragments.
Blast balls are often used by riot police
Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.
Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organize ...
to keep protestors back or separate "casual" rioters from "hardcore" instigators. They can also be used by police tactical units
The police are a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and ...
in close-quarters combat
Close-quarters combat (CQC) or close-quarters battle (CQB) is a tactical situation that involves a physical fight with firearms involved between multiple combatants at short range. It can occur between military units, police/corrections officers ...
to incapacitate suspects as a less-lethal and less-destructive alternative to actual grenades, which are generally unattainable by civilian law enforcement.
The use of blast balls in riot control is controversial. Proponents argue they are less harmful than traditional riot control agents or physical force, while opponents argue they are used indiscriminately and are capable of harm.
Application
Blast balls can be used against aggressive crowds during situations in which rioters significantly outnumber police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
or prison guards
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
. In this application, they are intended to frighten away and disperse "casual" rioters, or those who have been "sucked into" the contagion of the crowd, allowing police or prison guards to separate them from, and engage with, the remaining "hardcore instigator" element.
One typical deployment of blast balls occurred during the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot
The 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot was a public disturbance in the downtown core of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on the evening of June 15, 2011. The riot broke out almost immediately after the conclusion of the Boston Bruins' win over ...
and was described by a Vancouver Police Department
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) (french: Service de police de Vancouver) is the police force for the City of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the Metro Vancouver Area and is the second ...
officer:
Blast balls can also be used to create "negative stimulus" by detonating in areas toward which police do not want the crowd to move, creating a herding effect.
Manufacturers
Blast balls are marketed by AMTEC Less-Lethal Systems, Combined Tactical Systems, and Defense Technology, among other manufacturers. Blast balls manufactured by AMTEC weigh 212 grams and contain either 14 grams of OC gas or 12 grams of CS gas.Safety
The use of blast balls as a riot control measure is controversial. Opponents argue that blast balls are used indiscriminately against peaceful protestors and that they are capable of causing physical harm. Proponents and police argue blast balls, when used properly, are less harmful than traditional riot control measures such as pepper spray, tear gas, orbaton
Baton may refer to:
Stick-like objects
*Baton, a type of club
*Baton (law enforcement)
*Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts
*Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people
*Baton (conductin ...
strikes, which would have to be resorted to without blast balls.
In 2015, a Seattle woman sued the Seattle Police Department
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States, except for the campus of the University of Washington, which is under the responsibility of its own police department ...
(SPD), alleging shrapnel from a blast ball penetrated her leg. The SPD denied her claims, alleging that tests show that a blast ball detonated at contact range against ballistic gel
Ballistic gelatin is a testing medium designed to simulate the effects of bullet wounds in animal muscle tissue. It was developed and improved by Martin Fackler and others in the field of wound ballistics. It is calibrated to match porcine muscl ...
fails to produce trauma or tearing. In 2020, a judge found the SPD in contempt for frequent use of blast balls while attempting to quell the George Floyd protests in Seattle
The city of Seattle experienced protests over the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and 2021. Beginning on May 29, 2020, demonstrators took to the streets throughout the city for marches and sit-ins, often of a peaceful nature but which also devol ...
, finding that they were used "when no immediate threat to the officers' safety or public property could be identified".
See also
*Flash-ball
Flash-Ball is a registered trademark for a less-lethal hand-held projectile launcher developed by French hunting firearms manufacturer Verney-Carron. Flash-Ball is intended to be used by riot police as an alternative to lethal firearms, bean bag ...
References
{{reflist, 30em Non-lethal weapons Grenades Articles containing video clips