Last year many Americans were introduced to the flashbang grenade with news that a Georgia toddler suffered serious burns to his face and chest after police tossed the explosive device into his playpen, an action for which they were not indicted. Now, a new report from ProPublica on the use of these grenades provides more detail about the technology, including the shocking fact that they burn victims at a higher temperature than molten lava.
Because "there are few records kept on flashbang deployment," it is unknown how many Americans have been burned, deafened, or even killed by these grenades. However, they are frequently used in drug raids and other searches for nonviolent suspects, like the Arkansas grandmother who was selling beer and nachos out of her house to make ends meet.
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