The R.I.P. cartridge (round irritant personnel) 12-gauge ammunition comprises cartridges filled with a mixture of micronized CS gas, an inert powder to add weight, and a further non-toxic powder which, on compression and friction, produces a large amount of carbon dioxide gas on exiting the barrel of the shotgun.[1]

These specialist rounds are used in situations such as hostage rescue, where a less-than-lethal approach is required in order to resolve an incident.[2]

Persons subject to the dispersed contents of an R.I.P. round will be incapacitated for a given amount of time, depending on the precise content of the round. [3]

On 9 June 2008 English firearms officer PC Ian Terry was accidentally shot at point-blank range and killed by an R.I.P. round, in this instance filled with an inert white powder rather than CS gas, fired by a colleague whilst on a training exercise.[4][5]

References

edit
  1. ^ RIP CS gas cartridges deadly. February 3, 2012 Daily Mirror. John Clements
  2. ^ Ammunition – Close Range RIP Round Live and Practice
  3. ^ Ferret RoundsArchived June 28, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Pc hit with 'getaway car' shell". BBC News. 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
  5. ^ Dead police officer's family criticise force over jokey gun photo. The Guardian. Clara Lemming. March 28, 2012