General Pistol Lethality at 10% Level
Plastic Bullets Fired to Reduce Lethality
Built-in Black Box...Firing Records
President Yoon Suk-yeol recently announced a plan to supply all on-site police officers with low-risk pistols as a response to the recent surge in 'random crimes (abnormal motive crimes).' The low-risk pistol is a firearm that shoots specially designed low-risk bullets and was developed as a substitute for taser guns or the existing .38 caliber revolver pistols.
The firearms currently used by the police are .38 caliber 6-shot revolver pistols. However, revolver pistols have the drawback of high lethality, making it difficult for police officers to use them lightly in the field.
The low-risk pistol addresses these drawbacks. First, unlike typical firearms, this gun fires low-risk plastic bullets. Thanks to this, its power is significantly lower than that of a regular pistol, and the penetration into human flesh is less, resulting in lower lethality.
The police have already been using a small number of low-risk pistols since last year. The product was developed by the domestic small-caliber firearm manufacturer 'SNT Motive' and uses 9mm plastic bullets. According to the developer, it succeeded in reducing the weight by 25% compared to the previously used .38 caliber pistols, and safety devices are installed for user protection.
In addition to low-risk bullets, it can also use blanks and regular bullets, allowing flexible response depending on the situation. When using low-risk bullets, the physical force is about 10% compared to regular bullets.
The .38 caliber revolver can penetrate up to 48 cm when fired at an adult male's thigh, but the low-risk bullet penetrates only about 6 cm at most. Even if it hits the leg, it does not cause severe damage to the bones. However, if aimed at the upper body and hitting near vital organs, it can still pose a life-threatening risk.
Furthermore, the low-risk pistol is equipped with a smart module similar to a car's 'black box,' and it also has GPS functionality. Various information such as shooting time and location, angle, and the number of shots fired is recorded.
In his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the morning of the 29th, President Yoon stated, "We will supply low-risk pistols to all on-site police officers and newly provide weapon response equipment to 101 mobile units."
The National Police Agency plans to gradually distribute low-risk pistols to on-site police officers working at district police stations and police boxes next year, ensuring that each officer can secure one pistol, including existing pistols.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
