MOSCOW, April 24 (RAPSI) – Six percent of respondents stated that they, their friends, or their acquaintances have owned non-lethal guns, and 1% admitted to having used them, the VTsIOM national public opinion research center reported following a poll. 

A non-lethal gun is an informal term for a self-defense weapon that uses high velocity non-explosive ammunition, usually sandbag or rubber bullets.

The majority of the individuals who admitted that they, their friends, or their acquaintances have owned non-lethal guns are men (9%), individuals aged 18-24 (11%), well-off (10%) and Moscow and St. Petersburg residents (10%). Another 5% said that they or their acquaintances have owned such weapons before.

The overwhelming majority of respondents (85%) stated that they and their acquaintances have never owned non-lethal guns.

As many as 98% of respondents said that they had never used non-lethal guns or had such weapons used against them. Only 1% admitted that they had shot non-lethal guns or that such guns were used against them.

Respondents said that one cannot kill but rather just injure another individual with a non-lethal gun (25%). Meanwhile, 17% said they know that these guns shoot rubber bullets, and 14% said that they are permitted for self-defense.

However, 30% of respondents said that they do not know anything about non-lethal guns. The poll was held on April 6-7 among 1,600 people in 130 cities in 42 regions.