Opinion | Hold Off on Hollow-Point Bullets (Published 1997) (2024)

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani made the right move in delaying plans by New York City police to switch their ammunition from conventional full-metal-jacketed bullets to the more lethal hollow-point bullets. The proposed change needs much fuller discussion and analysis. The hollow-points, which expand when they hit flesh, are banned in warfare as inhumane by the Hague Declaration and the Geneva Conventions because they cause great damage to internal organs and tissue. There is no reason to use this type of ammunition unless the administration can demonstrate that traditional bullets are inadequate in protecting public safety.

The advocates of hollow-points note that most major police departments in the country, Federal law enforcement agencies and New York City's own transit and housing police now use hollow-point bullets. The fact that other agencies use the bullets, however, is not sufficient justification for changing New York police policy.

The standard arguments for using hollow-point bullets are not convincing. Supporters believe that the bullets can stop criminals before they reach for their guns. But even bullets inflicting severe or mortal wounds will not necessarily bring down suspects instantly. Nor will more lethal bullets necessarily reduce the number of bullets fired. About 80 percent of the shots fired by police in shootouts miss their targets entirely. Accuracy is perhaps more of a problem than having to shoot a suspect multiple times to bring him down.

Advocates also argue that the bullets are safer for bystanders. Most ballistic experts agree that hollow-points, by expanding once inside the body, rarely exit to hit another person. In that respect, they may be safer than traditional bullets. But there is disagreement among experts on whether hollow-points are significantly less likely to ricochet or to pass through other materials. A report released by Police Commissioner Howard Safir yesterday showed instances in which bystanders were struck by hollow-point bullets fired by transit police that ricocheted or passed through an object first.

There is little disagreement that hollow-point bullets create bigger wounds. But greater efficiency in maiming and killing suspects also means potentially severe harm to accidental targets. Former Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, cautioning in 1994 against the use of hollow-points, noted that one out of five officers shot were wounded with their own guns. Had those guns used hollow-points, the injuries would have been worse. Bystanders, though less likely to be wounded by shots passing through other people, may be more likely to die if shot directly with a poorly aimed hollow-point bullet.

The use of guns to protect officers' lives and to incapacitate armed criminals is justified. But there is no justification for inflicting more death or greater injury than is necessary to satisfy those aims. The shift to hollow-point bullets is a major policy decision that requires public input. So far, that has not happened. The burden is on the Mayor to establish a public decision-making process. He should not approve a change if he cannot produce clear evidence that New York residents would be better served by hollow-point bullets.