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From: barth@ihlpl.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.cyberpunk,rec.arts.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Future Police Speculations Needed
Message-ID: <3114@ihlpl.ATT.COM>
Date: Fri, 6-Nov-87 16:32:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ihlpl.3114
Posted: Fri Nov  6 16:32:00 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Nov-87 16:59:58 EST
References: <1463@haddock.ISC.COM> <1824@trex.rutgers.edu> <23473AE4@PSUVMA> <7731@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP>
Reply-To: barth@ihlpl.UUCP (BARTH RICHARDS)
Followup-To: alt.cyberpunk,rec.arts.sf-lovers
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 54
Xref: hoptoad alt.cyberpunk:156 rec.arts.sf-lovers:8453

In article <7731@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP> davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill
davidsen) writes:

>In article <23473AE4@PSUVMA> AE4@PSUVMA.BITNET (Jon Acheson) writes:
>[ much previous discussion ]
>
>|smaller than that.  The level of weaponry of the cops would, of course,
>|vary as you go from the doughnut patrol to the state police, but some things
>|you'd be sure to see include:
>|     uzi- style assault rifles (already standard in Europe), with laser
>|sights, would replace riot shotguns (equally effective, more selective)
>
>One of the nice things about shotguns is that they (a) are short range
>weapons and less likely to do major damage if a shot goes wild, and (b)
>require a *lot* less aiming than a rifle. Part of the effect of the
>weapon is the terror effect. A friend once described a sawed-off
>shotgun: "It's a real crowd pleaser. You pull it out and they all go
>'please, please!'".

Yes, shotguns have many advantages over sub-machine guns or even assault
rifles for police work. (An Uzi is actually the former and not the latter.)
My guess is that the new "battlefield shotguns" or "assault shotguns" will
become standard cop equipment.  These are now being made for military use
by various manufacturers in several different countries.  They are
generally "select-fire" weapons (like an assault rifle--can be fired
semi-auto or full auto), and generally use 12 or 20-round drum mags (though
some have 5 or 6-round clips).

If a standard pump-action shotgun gets the job done with little precision
in aiming needed, think what a 12-gauge full-auto burst would do!

>|     All ammunition would use caseless cartridges (solid propellant stuck on
>|the back of the bullet instead of powder in a shell)
>
>The technology is available today. Someone (Daisey?) made a 22 which
>used no case, and ignited the propellant using air heated by
>compression. Because propellants should not be exposed to heat, oil,
>humidity, etc, you would have to use a disposable magazine instead. It a
>neat idea, but not without drawbacks, and requires that the gun produce
>a sealed chamber, rather than the casing. Anyone who's ever seen a
>casing fail knows that a gun is not gas tight.

Heckler Und Koch are currently supplying the West German armed forces with
an assault rifle that uses caseless ammunition.


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  88                                                                       88
  88  Sometimes an eel needs a hovercraft.           Barth Richards        88
  88                                                 AT&T Bell Labs        88
  88                                                 Naperville, IL        88
  88           -Bill Stapleton                       !ihnp4!ihlpl!barth    88
  88                                                                       88
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