Less-lethal ballistic projectile launcher

A hand held launcher for use with a less-lethal ballistic projectile round, where the round includes a shell casing having an annular recess formed in a flat end around a primer and a projectile, the launcher comprising:

• a receiver section, the receiver section includes a handle grip and a back plate;
• a barrel section pivotally connected to the receiver section for movement between an open position spaced from the back plate and a closed position abutting the back plate, the barrel section includes a tubular barrel sleeve having an axial bore with a rear end for receiving the round therein, and a forward end from which the projectile is launched;
• a fire control mechanism housed within the receiver for discharging the round loaded into the barrel sleeve;
• and
• an ejector slidably retained within the barrel section for partially ejecting the round from the barrel sleeve rear end and for engaging the back plate to lock the barrel section in the closed position, the ejector includes a nub, the nub being received within a notch within the receiver section when the barrel section is in the closed position, thereby locking the barrel section relative to the receiver section.