The use of air weapons in attempted suicide

“…However, within the UK most firearms offences are by air weapons [6,7] although the majority of these are lesser offences such as vandalism, and minor assault. It has also been reported that in the USA an estimated 30 000 patients attended emergency rooms with airgun injuries in the period 1992-1993 [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although rare, deaths have occurred through their use or misuse [11,12] and in a 12-month period three separate and unlinked cases were reported where children received airgun pellet shots to the chest [13]. At least 35 deaths due to air gun discharge have been recorded in the medical literature [8] and the news media record other instances of fatalities from air weapons. There is therefore increasing concern over accidental death from air rifles due to peculiar circumstances such as age of the person, or location of the impact, and there are various campaigns to further prohibit the sale and use of air weapons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation into the behaviour of air rifle pellets in ballistic gel and their interaction with bone

Wightman

Beard

Allison

2010

Forensic Science International

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Although air weapons are considerably lower in power than other firearms, there is increasing concern that serious injuries can result from their misuse. The present study was therefore carried out to improve understanding of the terminal ballistic behaviour of air rifle pellets. Pellets were fired into ballistic gel under a variety of conditions. The pellets penetrated further than anticipated from their low cross-sectional density, and Bloom number was not necessarily a good guide to gel behaviour. Pellet penetration into the gel decreased with increasing gel concentration, and appeared to be linear at higher concentrations. Pointed pellets penetrated up to 50% further than rounded pellets. Power and range affect penetration, but other factors are also important, and power alone is not a simple guide to potential penetration. Test firings were also carried out firing pellets into ballistic gel that contained sections of animal bone. Computed tomography (CT) and visual observation were employed to record the interactions. CT scanning showed potential as a tool for examining pellet damage. The bone appeared to be undamaged, but the pellets were severely deformed on impact. If the pellet strikes the bone at an angle, less energy is absorbed by the impact and the pellet fragments may ricochet and cause further damage in the gel. A tentative model is proposed for estimating the energy absorbed by the impact.

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“…Several recent reports have described an increase in the number of air gun injuries in the civilian population [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Children playing with air guns often get injured accidentally.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endoscopically Assisted Retrieval of an Intracranial Air Gun Pellet

Mohanty¹,

Manwaring²

2002

Pediatr Neurosurg

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Intracranial missile injuries often lodge in deep and inaccessible areas of the brain and are sometimes difficult to remove. Many such missiles are left behind for the fear of surgical morbidity. The authors report the successful removal of a deep-seated intracranial air gun pellet with the aid of an endoscope. A 4-year-old child was admitted after being injured by an air gun pellet in the left forehead. He had no neurological deficits. Cranial CT scan revealed evidence of a pellet lodged in the left frontal region with small bone fragments driven into the adjacent parenchyma. The patient underwent a left frontal craniotomy around the entry wound and debridement of the bone fragments. The track was explored carefully with the aid of a rigid fiberscope and the pellet was identified and removed easily. Postoperatively, the patient had an uneventful recovery. Endoscopic retrieval of the projectile by following the track may be considered a reasonable alternative in suitable cases. This might be useful in retrieving deep-seated missiles.

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The use of air weapons in attempted suicide

Cited by 21 publications

References 19 publications

Cone beam CT imaging of airgun injuries to the craniomaxillofacial region

Cone beam CT imaging of airgun injuries to the craniomaxillofacial region

An investigation into the behaviour of air rifle pellets in ballistic gel and their interaction with bone

Endoscopically Assisted Retrieval of an Intracranial Air Gun Pellet

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