Cops are Using Paintball Guns during Protests. Is it a milder form of Weaponry, or Dangerous?

Police are evolving and using a completely new form of weaponry in these modern days of civil unrest. They are using paintball guns. Yes, the same paintball guns that are used in paintball fields across the USA, this time, it not about fun and games.

Before getting diving into this matter, let’s talk about if the paintball sport safe in general or not?

The HUCP-US report

HUCP (healthcare cost and utilization projection) found out that a total of 20300 visits to the emergency department were because of Airsoft and Paintball. 97% of injuries were caused by Airsoft, and only 3% by Paintball.

We understood from the report that paintball is a safer sport in terms of the number of injuries, but on the field, players wear tons of protective gear and they’re trained to withstand sudden paintball shots unlike protesting civilians.

Why police using paintball guns will cause more injuries:

Paintball may seem like a milder form of weaponry than tear gas and rubber bullets, but without appropriate paintball gear, getting hit by a paintball can result in permanent damage.

In 2001, a guy named Kenneth Costin lost his life after getting hid on the head by a paintball shot. Still, it is not a 100% confirmation that he died due to that single shot due to stroke, or any other medical complication but that headshot was talk of the town in that incident.

On a paintball field, you are required to wear the following protective gear:

· Paintball mask

· A vest

· Knee and arm pads

· Proper paintball clothing

· Shoes

By wearing above mentioned equipment, severe eye injuries, broken bones, cuts, bruises, welts, scalp shots, and ear damage can be prevented or minimized.

But,

Using paintball guns on unarmed civilians may seem safer than a rubber bullet or tear gas, but they are neither trained, not they are wearing any safety equipment.

A guy named ADAM KEPT was hit in the eye during the protest in Omaha. He fears that damaged could be permanent. Police may be trained with professional guns, but a paintball gun is a completely different story.

We can understand that authority is trying to be gentler on Protestants by utilizing paintball guns instead of pepper spray, or tear gas, but unlike those, a paintball shot in a sensitive spot can cause permanent damage.

So police utilizing paintball guns to shutdown protests is a wise decision or a foolish step?