Celebratory Gunshot Fired Miles Away May Have Critically Injured Florida Boy

[Whistle4Fly]

Yet another story for the anti-gun movement.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/02/celebratory-gunshot-fired-miles-away-may-have-critically-injured-florida-boy/

[Sandman]

Similar story about an amish girl getting hit...know your target beyond what you can see. Hope he pulls through.

[Garufa]

It does happen and is well documented. Those bullets do not just go on into space or magically disappear when shot up into the air.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Wish the article had mentioned the caliber of the bullet.

On the moon or other airless location, the bullet would come down at exactly the same velocity as it went up.

Can't recall where, but had read "informed opinion" somewhere that small bullets would come back down at lower terminal velocity than they go up, because air resistance would limit the terminal velocity. I'm not vastly experienced but one time got "showered" with small shotgun pellets from above (most likely a skeet shot gone wildy wrong) which was entirely harmless. Though it was concerning being too close to an idiot. Never saw the guy but a skeet range was in the vicinity on the other side of a strip of woods.

A heavy, long and pointy aerodynamic bullet would likely have much higher terminal velocity because of greater mass versus the cross-sectional area subject to air resistance.

It is inexcusable for people to shoot into the air of course. Its just a matter of curiosity what caliber bullet did the damage to the little boy. This new years eve in my neighborhood, some of the fireworks sounded like pistols and shotguns, but may have been fireworks. Dunno.

Have idly thought about trying to load some real loud .357 blanks for new years eve, never persued it. Fireworks and gunfire both strike mortal terror in the dawgs, so it wouldn't be friendly to the animals. They hide under my desk when there are fireworks shows a couple of miles away downtown.

[Defender]

There was an episode of Mythbusters last year where they "tested" this. IIRC they determined that it was unlikely, but possible for a falling bullet to injure severely enough to kill. But I think this was for one fired pretty much straight up in the air...but as anyone knows, a bullet has a trajectory if fired in a somewhat horizontal direction...guess it depends on a lot of different faqctors. Sad, in any case.