Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

most of you did not get* maced* or hit with any* rubber bullets* while strolling through downtown Saint Paul.

Dear teachers,

What does *mace* mean and why were there *rubber bullets* in Saint Paul??

Thank you so much

[CP]

Mace is a very noxious, irritating chemical concoction that police use to spray in people's faces to subdue them and prevent them from attacking the police or other citizens. Rubber bullets are softer and less deadly than regular, lead bullets. Police use them to shoot people without killing them.

There must have been some sort of disturbance or riot in St. Paul, and police must have gone out to mace and shoot the citizens. Or maybe the author is saying, "Lucky you, in peaceful St. Paul, Minnesota, unlike (for example) turbulent Detroit, Michigan. You can go downtown without worrying about getting maced or shot."
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