10 Firearms, Bullets, and Analogous Projectiles

Subject(s):

Armed conflict, international — Armed conflict, non-international — International criminal law, victims — Warfare, land — Weapons control — Weapons, conventional

Chapter 10 starts by discussing how weapons law rules apply to firearms. The discussion then addresses bullets, starting with exploding bullets and looking both at the St Petersburg Declaration and at the rule as set forth in the UK Manual. The 1899 prohibition of bullets that expand or flatten easily in the human body is explained and the implications of the relevant amendment to the Rome Statute for the legitimacy of using such ammunition in non-international armed conflicts is considered. The terms of corresponding customary law rules are considered carefully, and the implications of the rules for ammunition testing processes are outlined. Finally, the importance of avoiding application of targeting rules by misleading analogies is stressed.