When I see people shooting guns in the air for

[AsahinaKimi]

celebration, I wonder, if they wonder, where those bullets are going to fall. Especially when one is shooting straight up..

[Orrex]

1. Silly. They're freedom bullets

They fly straight up forever.

[AsahinaKimi]

4. I keep expecting to see people

falling over from falling bullets.. Those things gotta fall some where.

[liberal N proud]

2. Gravity defying bullets

They don't think they will come down.

[Ian David]

3. Bullets fired into the air maintain their lethal capability when they eventually fall back dow

busted / plausible / confirmed

In the case of a bullet fired at a precisely vertical angle (something extremely difficult for a human being to duplicate), the bullet would tumble, lose its spin, and fall at a much slower speed due to terminal velocity and is therefore rendered less than lethal on impact.

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.

More:
http://mythbustersresults.com/episode50

[AzNick]

12. CONFIRMED! We have Shannon's law in Arizona for a reason

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon's_law_(Arizona)

[PoliticAverse]

5. "what goes up, must come down". n/t

[Renew Deal]

6. I saw some lady shooting at an angle over some guys head.

Thankfully she controlled that gun, cause it looked pretty f****n dangerous to me.

[The Straight Story]

7. see mythbusters on this

http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/04/episode_50_bullets_fired_up_vo.html

[ileus]

11. I saw that episode they only recovered one if I recall correctly.

[AzNick]

16. There are THOUSANDS of caliber, loads and firearms combinations

They tested, what, 3?

[Shagbark Hickory]

13. They ruled busted, plausible and confirmed. How is that any help?!

[Recovered Repug]

31. If I recall correctly,

the "Busted" part came from the "Bullet fired straight up in the air". In that scenario, the bullet would strike at its terminal velocity and not be enough to kill someone. The "Plausible/Confirmed" referred to a bullet being fired at an angle.

[AzNick]

15. I was pissed at the Mythbusters for this episode

They got many things wrong, such as what happens when a stick is insterted in the wheel of a running motorcycle, but this one was wrong, because people do die from falling bullets.

Posted earlier:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon's_law_(Arizona)

[Frank Cannon]

42. Actually, I thought they gave a pretty thorough treatment of the subject.

They said that a bullet could be non-fatal if fired straight up in the air and it falls straight back down. Otherwise, if fired at any kind of an angle, it can be fatal. Since the "otherwise" situation applies most in real life, it's not a good idea to fire guns in the air.

[Shagbark Hickory]

46. I had a friend in middle school who was struck by a falling bullet on july 4th.

He didn't die but it majorly messed him up. It actually fell on the side of his head and his neck- I can't remember exactly where but it left a terrible scar and he was out of school for quite a while.

While he didn't die, there's no doubt he could have if he didn't get to the hospital in time.

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. Well, Wonder no more.

They don't wonder.

[AngkorWot]

9. Air resistance. How does it work?

[Selatius]

37. A bullet has incredibly small volume, so gravity would be the greater force acting on the bullet.

Once gravity stops a bullet from rising higher into the air, the bullet will begin to accelerate downward, much like tossing a rock up into the air and then watching it speed up on the descent down before hitting the ground. The only difference is a bullet can have a mile or more to continue to accelerate until it finally hits the ground. It'd be falling incredibly fast in the final seconds before hitting ground.

[Frank Cannon]

41. It actually reaches a terminal velocity of about 100 mph due to air friction

The Mythbusters did a great episode on this topic. At that speed, the bullet would hurt like hell and probably leave a mark but wouldn't kill you.

Unfortunately, the bullet only slows down to a non-fatal speed IF it's fired EXACTLY straight up in the air and falls straight back down. Since this is, in practice, almost impossible to pull off, a bullet retains much of its muzzle velocity and, alas, can easily send you to Boot Hill.

[UTUSN]

10. UnReccing, just to let you know. n/t Ever heard about "JOY"?!1

[AsahinaKimi]

14. I am sure you would unrec if

You were standing there and suddenly found a bullet though your shoulder.. Unrec away!

[UTUSN]

19. Oh, I've experienced innocents being dropped, but still don't get your point. n/t

[AsahinaKimi]

21. You don't get the point?

Would you get this POINT?

[shireen]

34. +1

it scares me to see that kind of shooting too!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

20. I didn't have any intention to rec or unrec this thread. But, because of your post, I recced. -nt

[Iggo]

25. Well gosh! I guess as long as they're happy, it's all good, right?

Rec.

[Webster Green]

26. Joy who?

And what does she have to do with this? :shrug:

[Bluebear]

28. Reccing to Counteract sourpuss unrec. Ever hear of an honest question?

[UTUSN]

47. Since my drubbing from last night is back on p. 1, I'll try to clarify

We're applying our own cultural values and judgments across anthropological lines.

Sometimes I post in shorthand, and I think that my underlying thought (that went UNsaid), is that we are dealing in the realm of anthropology, applying our judgments from our point of view over here, as opposed to that tribal society over there, where life is, indeed, cheap.

Besides my lack of clarifying that as my point, I also worded everything crudely, so I guess I deserved the slap downs I got.

[Edweird]

17. Anyone that fires a weapon in that manner is an irresponsible @sshole.

[onehandle]

18. Rec, because stupid people with guns are worldwide.

Culture aside.

[provis99]

22. well, howitzers and mortars have killed millions of people.

they work on the same principle as a bullet being fired into the air; the shell is simply larger.

[gateley]

23. I was wondering that while watching an AJE reporter on some

balcony with the square full of people behind her. You could barely hear her for the barrage, and she kept putting her hand over her ear.

[AsahinaKimi]

24. Yeah, I saw that on AJE too

They are standing there, three or four of them, firing bullets in the air. Geeze, you can't help think, "How stupid is that? Where do they think its gonna go? To the Moon?"

[valerief]

27. Why do you hate America? nt

[AsahinaKimi]

29. huh?

[valerief]

30. I didn't think I needed the sarcasm tag. nt

[AsahinaKimi]

32. awwwwww...

IDK..sometimes it seems like you do.. some people seem to take everything in GD deadly seriously. I try not to...

[valerief]

33. I know, but we can't give in to the sarcasm-impaired all the time.

We must forge ahead with our snark, proud and wise-assed, if we're to be truly free.

:toast:

[Mimosa]

35. Gangbangers in NOLA 'celebrating' killed tourists back in the pre-Katrina years

When I lived in New Orleans shooting guns in the air became a fad during the late 1990s, early 2000s. More than one tourist and a few locals died from falling bullets.

I have a liberal ideal that people should be allowed to own weapons for self protection. However, times have changed from when I was a child whose granddad taught me to shoot. I now think people who want to own weapons should have to take gun safety courses.

[Selatius]

38. As somebody who lives on the Mississippi coast, next door to NOLA, I agree.

I favor gun safety courses for anybody wanting to own a firearm, and I also favor a background check that also tries to search for past history of mental illness. We don't need another V-Tech Massacre on US soil anymore or another Columbine.

[jwhitesj]

36. They never fall back to where they were shot from

Someone else gets killed or injured because of their idiodic behavior.

[joshcryer]

39. That's what happens when untrained civilians have to take up arms to fight.

[pinboy3niner]

40. The rebels had a great idea to counter this...

A billboard in Benghazi, the de facto capital of the Libyan rebels, warns rebels not to fire their guns on the streets. Officials are cracking down on such firing of weapons into the air, saying it wastes precious ammunition and terrifies families, including babies. (David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times / August 3, 2011)

[joshcryer]

43. If you saw the pictures of Benghazi, you can see people covering their ears.

I think it's working for the most part because once you are used to the popping it doesn't "affect" you (start out on a crazy Fourth of July where firecrackers are going off all day, by nightfall they're not a big deal). In the pictures they're clearly affected.

[Kablooie]

44. The angels will fall from the sky.

It's 4 am and I can't sleep.
I just looked at drunk kitchen on YouTube and realize I feel the same way.

Yawn.

[H2O Man]

45. Recommended.

Thanks.

[mistertrickster]

48. When they go straight up, they lose velocity and fall relatively harmlessly down

Might be able to crack a window.

However, when guns are fired at an angle, the bullets are potentially fatal.

Dangerous and stupid.