LTL Shock Ammo

Created by Interop Armory, this ammunition was able to be mass-produced cheaply and even was able to be reused. It proved to be even more effective than lethal ammunition in neutralizing hostile targets. The ammo works by targeting the central nervous system - effectively paralyzing and subduing the target without killing them.

Like any other less-than-lethal (LTL) weapon, there are scenarios were it could be lethal but these are generally rare.

## Lethal Lead Ammunition

Lead ammunition is commonly referred to as old ammo, but is still in use in the world. Other names include lead/lethal ammo.

Lead ammo is banned for use with civilians and is forbidden for use in civilian peacekeeping. Police departments are instead issued standard LTL Shock Ammo. And civilians are able to purchase shock ammo as well. Under no circumstances will a person be allowed to possess lead ammo. If a civilian possesses lead ammo, they will be arrested and the ammunition will be confiscated. As such, lead ammunition is also illegal to sell. This is law in every nation.

Nowadays lead ammo is used for terminating high-profile targets and some animals (if necessary).

Lead ammunition is specifically always given the green light to be used on *Entity-347*, even though it does nothing.

## Weapons and Firearms Conversions

Weapons that fired shock ammo obviously were configured differently from old-firing firearms. Since the ammunition was only able to neutralize the target and not able to kill, shock ammo weapons were able to be restricted less than firearms. More precisely, they were able to be fired faster -- meaning fast-firing fully-automatic weapons were able to be created and used legally.

If available, lethal firearms were able to be converted by their respective companies. However, IA Nazhaev Weaponry in particular converted any firearm free of charge -- which prompted firearms companies to do the same.

Factory shock-firing weapons are indistinguishable from lethal firearms. Usually, they would have a lightning decal on the side that denotes that the weapon is shock-firing. Shock-firing weapons are able to fire lead cartridges but usually cannot handle the pressure generated from these types of ammunition. This is because shock ammo generates less pressure than it's lethal counterpart.

### Mechanism

The bullet of shock ammo is the only real thing that differs from lethal ammo. A shock bullet is not made out of lead, unlike lethal ammo, and is specifically designed not to penetrate but only stick to the target. The bullet is expelled the same as lethal ammo but when the primer is struck some of the energy is converted to electricity and stored in the bullet, which is stored until the bullet hits a target. The electric payload is similar to a taser, giving off high voltages of electricity in intervals but with low amperage. Bullets can be recovered from a disabled target, and remolded onto the cartridge later.

## Magic Bullets

Interop Armory also created "magic bullets", which are similar to shock ammo but the mage can set the electric payload to something else. This is only effective when the being using the weapon is a mage, otherwise the intended effect will not work and the weapon will just be a glorified BB gun.

## Calibers

LTL Shock Ammo came in different calibers, each with varying levels of power.

They were comparable to old lethal calibers, and their approximate counterpart will be listed. All that are listed are manufactured by Nazhaev. Other companies were in charge of their own ammunition.

## Effects

Shock ammo has undeniably been one of the most influential inventions in gun history. It made owning firearms easier and more legal, and made the topic of guns less controversial. They came with pros and cons and a few are listed.

### Benefits

Hunting became somewhat easier with shock ammo, allowing the usage of guns to hunt animals more accessible. Shock ammo is also somewhat quieter than their normal counterparts.

Gun control became more lenient as a result of shock ammo. Firearms that shot fully-automatic were also more accessible to the civilian market, as long as they were able to fire shock ammo.

Gun fanatics also enjoyed the ability to use widely-recognized firearms in their original firing mode -- full-auto.

### Negatives

The effectiveness of Shock ammo has been an enduring issue surrounding it's usage. In order to completely eliminate a threat, multiple bullets must be fired (hence why most shock weapons are fully-automatic). Shock ammo also does not kill and is incapable of doing so. In most areas, lethal force is not authorized even when the target is using lethal force.

There are a few reports that detail how ineffective shock ammo is against armored targets.

It has been suggested that the whole introduction of shock ammo was a government scheme to take away civilian rights to bear firearms and instead keep all proper-functioning lethal firearms for the government. This theory has been debated on heavily by gun rights activists and other parties because of multiple factors. (including: firearm compatibility with normal lethal cartridges, LTL still being potentially lethal, second-hand danger, etc.) However all parties agree that LTL shock ammo is the best compromise that allows civilians to use firearms and even fully-automatic firearms.