David C. lives in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
One morning, he was asleep in his house when he heard a noise coming from his garage.
David grabbed his shotgun and went to investigate, and it turned out that someone was trying to break in.
When he saw the intruder, David raised his shotgun and fired six rounds, which all hit the uninvited guest.
But they weren’t regular shotgun rounds.
Instead, David shot the man with six “non-lethal” shotgun rounds.
David said, “He ran off, I shot him a few more times, like I said, non-lethal, it just hurts. I saw him fall in the driveway, so I went to get another gun because I shot all the bullets out the first one.”
Next, the bad guy jumped into David’s truck and started to drive away.
Police arrived as the man was driving off.
The man tried to run over one of the officers, then crashed the truck, jumped out of the driver’s seat and sprinted into the woods.
The suspect has a lengthy criminal history, and thankfully, David wasn’t harmed, but his shotgun surely made the bad guy think twice.
Now, shotguns are one of the oldest firearms in existence and have stood the test of time.
One of the biggest benefits of the shotgun is their versatility.
For instance, a shotgun can use a wide variety of ammunition, from birdshot rounds to slugs to less-lethal rounds.
What are less-lethal shotgun rounds?:
Less-lethal shotgun rounds are ammunition that are meant to stop a threat without causing death.
These rounds are often used by law enforcement when deadly force might not be needed.
For example, less-lethal rounds can be used for crowd control or to subdue a criminal.
A few types of less-lethal shotgun rounds are rubber bullets, bean bags, and even electromagnetic rounds.
Even though these rounds might be called “less-lethal,” If a person is hit in the head, neck, or any sensitive area, the rounds can still cause serious injury or death.
Benefits of less-lethal shotgun rounds:
The main reason that less-lethal rounds are used is to minimize the risk of death.
They can be used to stop people without using deadly force.
For instance, if you are dealing with large crowds, less-lethal shotgun rounds can cause them to disperse without escalation.
Also, these rounds can cause temporary incapacitation giving the shooter time to get away or to take control of the threat.
Another good thing about less-lethal rounds is there is less risk of damaging property.
Since they don’t penetrate like a typical shotgun round, they won’t cause the same destruction.
Additionally, less-lethal rounds are often used for wildlife control and can be effective at deterring animals.
Drawbacks to less-lethal shotgun rounds:
The biggest drawback to everyday citizens like you and me using less-lethal rounds is that our purpose is different from law enforcement.
You see, if someone breaks into your house you shouldn’t be worried about less-lethal options, because they’re obviously breaking in and can harm you.
Obviously, I’m not a lawyer… but if an intruder is in your house, you are likely justified in using deadly force with regular ammunition.
Less-lethal rounds are designed to mainly cause pain and discomfort, and in a life-or-death situation, you want ammo that will stop a threat.
I consider having at least one self-defense knife on hand at all times non-negotiable.
