<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (January 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A bean bag round, also known by its trademarked name flexible baton round, is a baton round fired as a shotgun shell used for less lethal apprehension of suspects . </P> <P> The bean bag round consists of a small fabric "pillow" filled with #9 lead shot weighing about 40 grams (1.4 oz). It is fired from a normal 12 - gauge shotgun . When fired, the bag is expelled at around 70 to 90 metres per second (230 to 300 ft / s); it spreads out in flight and distributes its impact over about 6 square centimetres (1 sq in) of the target . It is designed to deliver a blow that will cause minimum long - term trauma and no penetration but will result in a muscle spasm or other reaction to briefly render a violent suspect immobile . The shotgun round is inaccurate over about 6 metres (20 ft) and has a maximum range of around 20 metres (70 ft). Changes to the bean bag round since its inception in the early 1970s have included a velocity reduction from 120 to 90 meters per second (400 to 300 ft / s) as well as a shift from a square shape to a more rounded sock - shaped projectile . </P> <P> Shotguns dedicated to being used for bean bag rounds are often visibly modified with either yellow or green markings, or bright orange stocks and stops, to reduce the possibility that a user might inadvertently load lethal munitions into the weapon . </P>

When did law enforcement start using bean bag guns