The Little-Known Weapon Behind Some of the Worst Protest Injuries in America
This story is published in partnership with the Human Rights Center at the University of California Berkeley. On the evening of March 28, 2026, USC freshman Tucker Collins was attending a No Kings protest outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles when he suddenly collapsed, screaming and clutching his right eye. Initially, amidst […]
The lesser-known weapon behind some of the most severe protest injuries in America is the Fabrique Nationale 303 Less Lethal Launcher, or FN303. This weapon, responsible for a disproportionate number of debilitating and severe injuries, has been used by law enforcement agencies across the United States, particularly during immigration-related protests.
The Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) released a report titled "Charting the Crackdown," detailing over 400 incidents of misuse by federal agents using the FN303. Despite its history of severe injuries dating back 23 years, the FN303 has remained largely unnoticed in the United States until recently.
With the Trump administration allocating nearly $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security by 2029, the agency has made the largest single purchase of this weapon on record, just as protests were peaking across the country.
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