Conventional shotshells, i.e., shotgun shells, are centerfire ammunition with the primer centrally located within the end of the brass portion or case-head. When the firing pin impacts the primer, the primer compound explodes to ignite the powder charge within the shotshell and the projectile is expelled from the hull body. Shotshell ammunition is available in different gauges and load types for a variety of purposes, for example, for use with a lethal or non-lethal weapon. A non-lethal weapon may also be called a less-lethal weapon, a less-than-lethal weapon, a non-deadly weapon, a compliance weapon, or a pain-inducing weapon and is a weapon intended to be less likely to kill a living target than a conventional weapon. Although a severe casualty or death may result whenever force is applied, a less-lethal weapon is intended to minimize that risk.
Military, police, and security forces may employ a conventional shotgun with less-lethal shotshells for self-defense, refugee control, crowd control, riot control, and prisoner control. The construction of the customary less-lethal shotshell is essentially identical to the conventional lethal shotshell except that the less-lethal shotshell includes less powder charge, and/or the projectile of the less-lethal shotshell is made of a low-density material, such as rubber. Because less-lethal and lethal shotshells are similarly constructed, both types of shotshells are capable of being fired from a conventional shotgun. This may pose a dangerous situation to a user of a conventional shotgun using less-lethal shotshells in a less-lethal situation if the user loses possession of the conventional centerfire shotgun to someone with access to lethal shotshells. A need therefore exists for a less-lethal shotgun and compatible less-lethal shotshell, wherein conventional lethal shotshells are not able to be used with the less-lethal shotgun.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds