The very act of doing that would make them a protester who is more subversive than average, and worthy of taking. And with such an inaccurate weapon, they aren

The very act of doing that would make them a protester who is more subversive than average, and worthy of taking. And with such an inaccurate weapon, they aren't actually looking for specific targets; they're trying to intimidate. Getting random people even benefits the leaders. If the population knows that bad things happen to political prisoners, and that the mildest of protesters are being marked as leaders, then some will lose their nerve.