August 26, 2008 11:54 AM

Packing heat: Are Denver police toting automatic weapons?

Claim: Denver police were swarming the streets carrying automatic weapons.
Rocky Truth Patrol says: Just Wrong

NBC anchor Brian Williams, reporting from the Democratic National Convention Monday night, described Denver as a "city transformed" where "Giant SUVs roam the streets with men in black with automatic weapons on the running boards..." Then, after a report from justice correspondent Pete Williams, the anchor said: "Thanks for braving the streets of Denver for us today."
Brian, those are pepper ball guns, not automatic rifles. According to city officials, there are no police with assault rifles among the crowds, though the pepper ball guns resemble automatic weapons. However, they're essentially paint ball guns filled with pellets that, instead of paint, contain a powder that is "like a combination of cayenne pepper and baby powder," according to the manufacturer.
The guy who designed the weapon, Ben Cook of Denver, said it is not available in an automatic version. The semi-automatic trigger allows for quick shot succession, though.
The city bought 88 new Mark-IV pepper ball guns in anticipation of the convention. The guns supposedly have an effect similar to pepper spray. Cook -- who has himself been shot with one of the weapons (part of the job description, apparently) -- said it stings. But a person could be shot point blank and it is "virtually impossible" to cause death, he said.
The photo below shows one of the guns in the background. But as you can see, police also are using canisters.
Some 100 protesters were arrested Monday night; half have pleaded not guilty today, the Rocky's Sue Lindsay reports.

Posted by Laura Frank at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)