Re: Bullet fired into air...

On Tue, 25 Nov 2003 01:32:19 +0000 (UTC), [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

>http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/11/24/klan.initiation.ap/index.html
>
>JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee (AP) -- A bullet fired in the air during a Ku Klux
>Klan initiation ceremony came down and struck a participant in the head,
>critically injuring him, authorities said. [...]

An LEO from an adjacent county was at the firing range today. When asked about
the event, he stated that the shooter, Freeman, was intoxicated and waiving
the gun around when he fired the round that struck Murr. So, I'm thinking the
media version is questionable.

I don't know much about ballistics, but this shot happened at night, in
whatever atmospheric conditions; and against some steep odds of hitting such a
target.  I wonder if there would be enough energy in the falling round to
enter and exit an adult skull.

Considering the trajectory's very short arc, almost 100% of the round's energy
would have been expended carrying the bullet aloft. Therefore, wouldn't nearly
100% of the energy, on impact, have to have come from gravity?

Disregarding the targeting and the atmospheric conditions, would this sort of
impact be possible?

Considering all of the nice things around here, it's sad that some of the
area's Darwin Award candidates made national news.

Michael

A day without recoil is like a day without sunshine!