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Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

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www.ruger.com

A US-based manufacturer of firearms.

Ruger rifles are used by the Israeli army to attack Palestinian protestors. These rifles, which are commonly referred to as "toto", include 0.22-inch caliber metal bullets. Even though the Ruger is described as "non-lethal", several Palestinians died after being shot by Israeli soldiers using Ruger rifles.

12 Palestinians were killed by Ruger rifles in the West Bank between the years 2016-2021. 8 Palestinians died from Ruger bullets since the beginning of 2021. However, these statistics do not include any Palestinian killed by border police, or any killed by army along the border surrounding the besieged Gaza.

Between October and December 2019 alone, 20 Palestinians were wounded by Ruger fire while trying to cross the fence.

In the village of Beita in the West Bank, where daily protests have been taking place against the construction of "Evyatar" outpost on the village's lands, at least two protestors were shot by Ruger bullets.

In December 2020, Ali Abu Alia, a Palestinian boy, was shot and killed by Israeli forces using a Ruger rifle as he watched a protest in the village of al-Mugahyer in the West Bank.

On 20 March 2018, the police contracted the company's Israeli distributor L.H.B. for the supply of Ruger parts worth 150,000 NIS.

In 2014, a border police officer was documented with a ruger rifle pointed at protestors in the village of Turmusi'ya in the West Bank. In 2015, Abdelrahman Obeidalla, a 13-year-old from Aida refugee camp was shot dead from a "toto" bullet.

Ruger was also used by border police against Palestinians in Israel and East Jerusalem, and by Israeli army against Palestinian protestors in the besieged Gaza.

Israeli forces started using Ruger rifles during the first Palestinian Intifada (uprising) in 1987, when Israeli forces were looking for a more "powerful" weapon than the metal covered rubber to take out protest leaders by shooting them in the legs. Ruger rifles were also used by Israeli forces during the second Intifada in the year 2000, leading to the death of Palestinian protestors.