US police order Russian 'wasp' pistols

Arizona State Police will soon be equipped with Russian-made Osa non-lethal pistols.

"Arizon state officials in the US recently ordered several batches of Russian Osa non-lethal pistols to equip their police forces. This is the first time US security forces have officially purchased Russian weapons," Sputnik on December 1 quoted a representative of the TECHMASH group, the manufacturer of Osa guns, as saying.

The first batch of 60 guns and 10,000 bullets will be delivered soon.

Arizona State Police Chief Paul Babyu said equipping officers with Russian non-lethal weapons would help reduce fatal incidents while arresting and suppressing crime, amid the rise in illegal immigration.

"Illegal immigrants do not have weapons but they can attack the police with bricks and stones. I have witnessed many cases of suppression with conventional guns leading to deaths. In this case, the Russian Osa pistol proved to be very effective," Mr. Babyu affirmed.

The Osa pistol, also known as the "wasp" pistol, is a non-lethal pistol developed by the Russian company New Weapon Technologies since the mid-1990s as a civilian self-defense weapon.

The Osa gun can use many different types of bullets such as stun bullets and flare bullets. These bullets are designed to cause little damage to the target or cause shock, causing loss of consciousness for a short time.

According to VNE