No Dum Dum

Wojciech Stecki, a fresh-faced 34 year old, isn't quite sure what to make of all the media attention he has been getting lately.

In one week he has had more than 20 newspaper, magazine and television interviews, and his home phone in Inowrocław never stops ringing.

"The problem is," said Stecki, "I just can't say no to these people."

The reason for all this pestering and pandering from the national media is a sleek, black-tipped silver bullet that Stecki, a staff warrant officer in the Polish army, invented earlier this year.

He has named it ‘Paradox' - "because it's a bullet that doesn't kill". And, according to Stecki, it's the first bullet of this kind that can be used in a 9mm parabellum pistol - the most common caliber pistol used by police and armed forces around the world. Up until now these bullets - which are made in Poland - were only available for revolvers.

But, added Stecki, what makes this bullet so interesting, especially at the moment, is that anti-terrorist ‘sky marshals' could safely use the Paradox bullet aboard an airplane.

"And that's just one example," Stecki said. "It could also be used in other risky places like gas stations or in crowd situations. It was invented to hurt people, but not to kill them and it's intended to be used over short distances, so in a plane it's ideal."

Stecki, also an avid sports shooter, said it took him four months to design the bullet. The patent is pending and he is keeping a lid on the actual design specifications. But the secret is inside the bullet. Like the revolver versions of these non-lethal bullets, the Paradox bullet case contains a small, flat bag of shot about 1.5cm in diameter. When the bullet is fired the black plastic tip blows off and the sack spins through the air, hitting the target in a flat shape; causing damage but not penetrating the body. This type of bullet also never ricochets.

Stecki said the reason this bullet has eluded inventors for so long is because they can easily jam in a pistol cartridge. The other problem is that the pistol's power is so strong, in most cases the sack is rarely flat when it hits the target, resulting in more severe injuries, and possibly death.

But Stecki said his design modifications have created a "shot-sack" bullet that is more effective and more reliable. He said ballistics tests at ZM Mesko - manufacturer of the Paradox prototype - showed that the sack from a Paradox bullet hit its target in a flat shape in 100% of cases, and reloaded in the pistol perfectly.

"These tests on the Paradox were absolutely perfect," Stecki said. "I think the people from the manufacturing plant were shocked."

So far Stecki has spent zł. 4,000 on developing his design. He thinks that ultimately a Paradox bullet, because of its special modifications, would retail for zł. 7. A regular bullet costs around zł. 2.

Stecki said Mesko is still considering whether it will produce the Paradox, so now he's thinking of taking his bullet elsewhere. Stecki's first step was contacting the media after he saw a Polish pilot on the news say that no gun could be used safely against terrorists on an airplane.

"I know the demand for this sort of bullet is huge all over the world," said Stecki. "But money isn't the most important thing to me. I just want to see it manufactured and used universally."

And for that reason, Stecki said he's hoping his phone continues to ring even more.