Medicine - firearms

Question 1

Forensic issues for firearms

Answer 1

• Suicide, Murder or Accident?
  o Suicide
   Usually close range – cannot shoot yourself from far away
   ‘Sites of election’ – head, chest
   Men – 9/10 are men
   Single shot – may not cause death so would shoot again – but initial assumption is if multiple shots, it was not suicide
• Reconstruction
  o Range
  o Number of shots - number of entry wounds (which should equal number of exit wounds + bullets)
  o Direction of shots – where people were standing, where blood is
• Identification of weapon

Question 2

What does firearms injury depend on?

Answer 2

• Injury depends on
  1. Weapon
  2. Ammunition
  3. Range
  4. Site

Question 3

Type of weapon - smooth-bore shotgun (size, ammunition, range, wounds)

Answer 3

o Sizer – 12 bore; 410
o Ammunition – cartridge
o Range – 50m
o Close
 Circular abrasion
 Circular wound (over skull ragged) – all pellets come out at once and make one large hole in skin
 Smoke soiling – muck around edge of wound
 Wads inside the wound
o Far (beyond 2-3 metres)
 Spread of shot (com) = 2.3 range (m)
 Only thing that contacts the skin is the pellets when from larger distance
o Wounds from smooth-bore guns
o Pellets (shot)
o Hot gas – flame
o Propellant – unburnt explosive
o Wads – shell of the bullet, part of the ammunition – holds the pellets

Question 4

Types of weapon - rifled weapons (revolvers, pistols, rifles) - (size, ammunition, image, injuries)

Answer 4

o Size – very variable
o Ammunition – bullet
o Range – up to several kilometres
o Injuries
 E =1/2MV2 (squared)
 Internal Damage
 Entrance vs exit wounds
 Entrance
* Usually soot, flame around wound
 Exit Wounds
* Edges everted
* Stellate – star shaped
* No smoke soiling, burning – always clean at exit wound
* May be irregular, large or multiple – due to fragmentation of the bullet in the body