‘LESS-LETHAL’

Virginia Police Department Ditches Trades Shotgun Rounds for Beanbags

The rounds may be less dangerous than typical shotgun ammo, but they can still inflict serious injury or death.

Police in a Virginia County near Washington, D.C. are swapping bullets for beanbags. The police department in Fairfax County took shotgun rounds away from all its patrol units, and is converting more than three-quarters of its arsenal of 12-gauge shotguns to fire the “less-lethal” ammunition, The Washington Post reported. But the weapons are called “less-lethal” for a reason—even the beanbag ammunition can cause serious injury or death. The department’s switch comes as police across the country reevaluate officers’ use of shotguns on duty. But it’s not cutting lethal shotgun rounds out entirely, as its SWAT teams will continue to use them.