Shuttlecock machine-gun Russia’s new anti-riot weapon

Published: 10 June, 2012, 13:01

Troublemakers acting aggressively at public gatherings in Russia will soon have to face a mammoth badminton-based weapon. Russian law enforcement is ready to test a shuttlecock machine-gun that will easily knock down any professional tennis player.

­Like their colleagues abroad, Russian riot police units are well equipped with water cannon, tear gas grenades and electric stunning devices. But international experience shows that so-called “non-lethal weapons” can be deadly after all.

Tear gas can make some choke to death, while stun guns can easily cause heart arrest. Water cannon cannot be used in Russia in winter as wet protesters might suffer from hypothermia.

So, Russian police are reluctant to use “non-lethal” ammunition.

In 2009, the country’s Ministry of Interior conducted an open competitive tender for a pneumatic non-lethal crowd control system.

FULL STORY: http://www.rt.com/news/shuttlecock-machine-gun-police-159/