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Dyann Callahan

Celebratory gunfire –Safety First on the Fouth!

Holiday firearms safety- Falling Bullet Injuries

The Fourth of July is just around the corner and before you know it we will all be out in the back yard grilling burgers and steaks and setting off fireworks. And every year thousands of Americans break out their favorite shootin’ iron and pop off a few rounds…into the air. Do not fire a gun into the air! Not only is this unwise (okay it’s stupid) but it is also very dangerous!
If the firearm is discharged perfectly vertical it can go up to a mile! Once reaching its apogee, the aerodynamic projectile will fall back to earth at terminal velocity, which is still fast enough to cause serious injury and possibly kill. However, more often the firearm is discharged at an angle and so the projectile actually travels on a ballistic trajectory, and so when it returns to terra firma it has more than ample velocity to KILL!

In many countries such as the Balkans, Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan- its culturally accepted and expected to shoot in the air as a celebration. In American many holidays have people shooting as a celebratory act: New Year’s Day, Christmas, and Eid.

Hard numbers were difficult to obtain, but it would seem that dozens each year are injured in the US and its territories by celebratory gunfire, and as many as 2-3 deaths are caused each year by celebratory gunfire in the US and its territories.

The mortality rate among those struck by falling bullets is about 32% according to Wikipedia. Hundreds of property damage incidences are reportedly caused by celebratory gunfire each year.

Not only is this practice unwise and unsafe, but it is illegal. If caught discharging a firearm into the air you may be charged with a crime and you can be held liable for property damage. If someone is injured or killed and the projectile is traced back to you, you will be charged with a crime, including negligent homicide if the victim dies. "It's dangerous, it's illegal and many people don't realize that if you get caught, you're going to jail," Lt. Bill Hoffman told the Houston Chronicle on UPI.com(United Press International, Inc),
“Random gunfire is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum one year in jail and $4,000 fine in Texas. Anyone who injures or kills someone with a stray bullet could face more serious felony charges.”
So play it safe, shoot fireworks off on the holidays, and don’t fire weapons into the air.

Mythbusters did a show on it using a paintball gun, Episode 50 and the results confirmed it as lethal:
“However, if a bullet is fired upward at a non-vertical angle (a far more probable possibility), it will maintain its spin and will reach a high enough speed to be lethal on impact. Because of this potentiality, firing a gun into the air is illegal in most states, and even in the states that it is legal, it is not recommended by the police. Also the MythBusters were able to identify two people who had been injured by falling bullets, one of them fatally injured. To date, this is the only myth to receive all three ratings at the same time.”

Dyann Callahan

"There are hundreds of millions of gun owners in this country, and not one of them will have an accident today. The only misuse of guns comes in environments where there are drugs, alcohol, bad parents, and undisciplined children. Period."
- Ted Nugent

Posted on Mon, June 25, 2012 by Dyann Callahan filed under

11 comments (Add your own)

1. Jette wrote:: in other words, a person who carires or is otherwise in control of a firearm, whether for sport, personal safety or in the line of duty, is responsible for that gun and any discharges from it, period.there are contributing factors to all accidents of every kind, including accidental discharges, and in this case there seem to be several...but that doesn't change the fact that one individual is responsible, and culpable, and here that is the pilot...one question is, with the givens of an absurd holster design and ridiculous bureaucratic padlocking requirement, why on earth would that firearm be cocked and chambered?my real point here is this: any and all serious and mature gun handlers take and accept ultimate responsibility for firearms that are under their control...and i would expect that many have had a.d.'s of their own, admit it, take responsibility, and learn from it...one thing is for sure, anyone who has had one (or more) remembers the details bacause it's just something that you don't forget.as i've mentioned before here at xavier's place, i handled thousands of firearms in my 30 years as a firearms dealer, pawnbroker, shooter, and collector...and i've had three accidental discharges; they all scared the bejeezus out of me, they were all due to inattention or lapses of judgement or control, and i am personally responsible for them...i was planning to do a post at my own blog detailing the circumstances, the mistakes i made, the lessons i learned, and the blessings God bestowed in that no one was hurt...but i have a better idea...i would like other gunnies to detail their own a.d.'s, and with xavier's respected and well-read status among the online gunning community, i would love it if he would host such a confessional here on his blog...this would be cathartic for those who detail their mistakes, instructive for those who read and learn from them, and informational and entertaining for everyone to read...and i promise to add my own three scary experiences and to link to the post with xavier's permission...xavier? will you consider such a confessional? jtc
Fri, August 10, 2012 @ 6:37 PM
2. Kezban wrote:: jtc,I've been very fortunate to never have a ND. It's not that I have alawys been 100% safe. Nobody can attain that goal. I have simply been 100% fortunate. I do not look down on others due to the ND events that happen to them. Each time I read or hear about one, it serves as a reminder to myself of why I must remain vigilant. I stopped doing "Idiots With Guns" which was a series based on enternet photos where the subject chose to pose with firearms in a dangerous manner. A lot of folks didn't really seem to get what I was trying to do. A person who has a ND would never make the cut into an IWG. IWGs were frequently pointing the gun at their own head or somebody elses. IWGs were immature people who I felt we, as responsible gun owners, wanted to disassociate ourselfs with. Folks who have NDs are generally not like that. A ND series is intriging, but due to the anonymity of the internet, I wonder if I can accomplish what we want without allowing a vehicle for anti-gun propaganda. This was the point of several folks who opposed the IWG series, and it had validity. ND stores only have value if the experience can be told of in such a way that it educates others. In my mind, ND stories are not entertainment. They are serious tools for education. I may think on it, select a few criteria, and give a call for submissions.....I do have a thing for the person who experienced the ND telling their own story and the lessons they learned. I do not want to be one to judge a man who learns from his mistakes. He surely doesn't need me.
Fri, August 10, 2012 @ 9:24 PM
3. Joao wrote:: After just completing the FFDO trniaing three weeks ago, I must say that the exact scenario shown in the uTube video was not only discussed at length, but also demonstrated. It was EMPHASIZED that it is imperative to INSURE the weapon is FULLY seated in the holster and to INSURE the holster thumb snap is fastened BEFORE inserting the lock. You are then REQUIRED to visually check for the PROPER positioning of the lock BEHIND the trigger to insure that this very accident can never happen. The gent who narrates the video uses phrases like "somehow", "for some reason", and "could have". Strict adherence to trniaing would have prevented this unfortunate accident. We are pilots first and defenders second unless a threat is perceived. The USA pilot was neither flying his aircraft nor defending it. However, it was an accident only and should be treated as such. Don't blame POLICY, TSA, FAA, or any other entity for temporary individual carelessness.
Sat, August 11, 2012 @ 1:09 AM
4. Rashid wrote:: My position, folks, is that the pilot had the optoin of not carrying the weapon at all. The pilots themselves, having made the decision to carry a gun themselves, should feel the need to seek out training independently. Once that training demonstrates to them the danger of inserting a device into the trigger guard of a loaded firearm, then they have a choice.....Continue to use the equipment that they are mandated to use, or decide to not carry a gun at all. If TSA mandated the pilot twirl a loaded pistol on their finger thirty times prior to exiting the cockpit if they were to carry, I would hope that most pilots would simply say "I will not carry a pistol with those regulations in place." The decision to carry a gun in an obviously dangerous holster was that of the man who decided to do so. He is responsible. You can say TSA set him up for failure, but he allowed himself to be set up.
Sat, August 11, 2012 @ 1:17 AM
5. Alma wrote:: This is with out a doubt the best way to store a shotgun loedad for personal defense as is suggested by Eric. I truly think the magazine coil spring will likely last a mans lifetime even in this loedad condition. Just a simple matter to check it every year or so to be positive it will feed correctly. I have slightly stretched the coil spring on a Winchester model 12 20 ga. that was made about 1950 and it has never failed me yet but it is not kept loedad today. Be sure to measure it before you stretch it and only lengthen it an inch & a half if appears weak. I use another method on a 12 ga. Win model 1200 that I keep behind my bedroom door in a loedad position. There are no children in my house & the only teen that does visit is gun savvy & schooled on firearm safety. Since this pump action shotgun is occasionally used in the field or at a clay shoot it is legally plugged for a capacity of three rounds only. Therefore not wanting to put a dummy shell in the chamber I just fully load all three shells in it making sure the safety is on and I push the slide release and pull the slide back until I can see half the shell exposed then I sit it behind the door. If I or my wife were in need to use it quickly simply push the slide closed & push the safety off & fire. Just remember not to rack it before firing or you will only have two rounds in it & it could be you were counting on three rounds. I have used this method several years now & feel it will provide me protection if it is ever called on. I also have a fully loedad .40 Glock with a laser holstered between the mattress'sunder the valance. My wife has a loedad air weight S&W .38 spl. in the drawer in her nightstand. This is our safe room you might say since the gun vault is on the other end of the house. In this rural area there are no specific laws on loedad guns but it is common sense that guns are to be rendered childproof where children are present. Just remember to be aware of the condition and the location of every gun that may be used in an emergency & please use all caution so that you and only qualified family members can get access to any gun loedad or not. It's our parental obligation to teach safety & firearm proficiency. A family that hunts shoots & collects guns together and excercises proper safety will be a close happy family with responsible members through adulthood & the rest of their life. I see it every day. JD
Sat, August 11, 2012 @ 7:54 AM
6. htshwqbg wrote:: oJeBrD ziozignjyvfy
Sat, August 11, 2012 @ 2:18 PM
7. mviuin wrote:: wS3ROI rqjetzcmuojf
Sat, August 11, 2012 @ 2:47 PM
8. Dorival wrote:: IDIOTS WITH GUNS! With the end of the military draft, most folks don't get much of a chcane to learn muzzle discipline, finger along side trigger guard, know your gun, don't cover anything with your muzzle you don't wish to destroy. I'm an NRA instructor, and in the very late 80's through the 90's was Chief Instructor at a school we set up in Pittsburgh. Trust me, I've seen some monumental f***ups on the range, even after 8 to 10 hours in the class. I've successfully taken control of at least a dozen firearms that were near to becoming, or had become, a threat to other students. Every student had a coach. No solo's on our range. Every instructor was well schooled in disarm techniques. Fortunately, in all those years, we had a few UD's, but all were downrange. For my part, those students who were disarmed by me or one of the coaches learned some valuable lessons. The real IDIOT WITH A GUN is the guy or gal who buys a handcannon, has the guy at the gun store load it for him/her, stuffs it in a sock drawer, and figures they are now "safe" and "protected". I don't espouse mandatory training, but anyone with half a brain who buys a gun should seek professional training. I carry every day, and consciously make sure I don't sweep my body parts when moving my loaded pistol into holster, pants pocket, or glove box in the car. I'm careful, real careful, to remember where my trigger finger is. I've been carrying in either an official capacity, or as an armed citizen since 1969, and have had two UD's. One was a cock/decock exercise on the range that got away from me. No harm, muzzle downrange in a controlled event (classroom demo--boy did I feel like an ass. Never eat potato chips and then expect to hang on to the revolver's hammer) and the other in a DCM match with a Garand. How stupid could I have been--finger inside the trigger guard while raising the rifle to my shoulder to fire from standing position. Bullet clearly impacted just under the target butt 200 yards downrange. My point is that UD's happen, but if you remember 2 out of 4 of the cardinal rules, especially to keep the muzzle downrange, it becomes a lesson learned, and not a tradgedy. One guy's opinion, and I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
Sat, August 11, 2012 @ 7:59 PM
9. Jesus wrote:: Sorry to get in on this one so late...Minus some of the obvious satefy concerns, are folks upset about the actual "content" of the vid?It seems a bit obsessive in some ways, but in others it looks like the guys were trying to be theatrical more than anything else. Certainly nothing they were doing was more or less idiotic than the movies they were mimicking. I, as well, have taken "first person" videos, and have set up a camera down range to videotape the effect and view from that perspective. More of a general interest thing than anything else. It may be strange to some, but it hardly rates as "inherently unsafe" anymore than running around an IDPA scenario with a loaded pistol in hand.
Sat, August 11, 2012 @ 8:15 PM
10. mesodiayqx wrote:: IDIi8Y dzllmuvegbdh
Mon, August 13, 2012 @ 2:37 PM
11. Muzammil wrote:: IDIOTS WITH GUNS! With the end of the military draft, most folks don't get much of a chcnae to learn muzzle discipline, finger along side trigger guard, know your gun, don't cover anything with your muzzle you don't wish to destroy. I'm an NRA instructor, and in the very late 80's through the 90's was Chief Instructor at a school we set up in Pittsburgh. Trust me, I've seen some monumental f***ups on the range, even after 8 to 10 hours in the class. I've successfully taken control of at least a dozen firearms that were near to becoming, or had become, a threat to other students. Every student had a coach. No solo's on our range. Every instructor was well schooled in disarm techniques. Fortunately, in all those years, we had a few UD's, but all were downrange. For my part, those students who were disarmed by me or one of the coaches learned some valuable lessons. The real IDIOT WITH A GUN is the guy or gal who buys a handcannon, has the guy at the gun store load it for him/her, stuffs it in a sock drawer, and figures they are now "safe" and "protected". I don't espouse mandatory training, but anyone with half a brain who buys a gun should seek professional training. I carry every day, and consciously make sure I don't sweep my body parts when moving my loaded pistol into holster, pants pocket, or glove box in the car. I'm careful, real careful, to remember where my trigger finger is. I've been carrying in either an official capacity, or as an armed citizen since 1969, and have had two UD's. One was a cock/decock exercise on the range that got away from me. No harm, muzzle downrange in a controlled event (classroom demo--boy did I feel like an ass. Never eat potato chips and then expect to hang on to the revolver's hammer) and the other in a DCM match with a Garand. How stupid could I have been--finger inside the trigger guard while raising the rifle to my shoulder to fire from standing position. Bullet clearly impacted just under the target butt 200 yards downrange. My point is that UD's happen, but if you remember 2 out of 4 of the cardinal rules, especially to keep the muzzle downrange, it becomes a lesson learned, and not a tradgedy. One guy's opinion, and I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
Sat, December 29, 2012 @ 12:48 AM

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