The ESPO was a short-barreled rifle with an open-frame stock. Its strength was not in accuracy—indeed, it did not have much of that—but rather in its ability to hit anything within a general field of fire. Critics of the CSA have said that the rifle matched the CSA philosophy perfectly—when in doubt, shoot into a crowd, or so the cynics say.
This riot gun also had a close-range stun setting as well, meaning the wielder could switch the weapon to fire stun shots instead of lethal fire, however the close-range stun setting was limited to a range of only 9 meters. The sale of this weapon was restricted to legitimate military organizations and police forces only.
It appears that during the years from the Clone Wars up to the Rebellion era, this weapon underwent some improvements including a reduced weight from 4.5 kg to 2.2 kg as well as improvement to its long-range accuracy. The result was a cost increase of 1,000 to 1,200 credits.
The Blastech 500 riot gun was standard issue for all Espos. Espos were known to use this weapon on constant-fire mode the majority of the time, as they could afford to waste power hosing it around without regard for collateral damage or innocent bystanders.
- Galladinium's Fantastic Technology
- Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear
- Arms & Equipment Guide
- The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
- Rebellion Era Campaign Guide
- Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook