-MIKE- wrote:


Mythbusters tacked this. I realize they aren't the bastion of
scientific method, but they did a pretty good job in this instance.

Yes, a bullet fired straight into the air, perpendicular to the
ground, will slow down, reach an apex, fall down to earth reaching
terminal velocity which isn't lethal.

Have to differ on this point Mike. If I recall correctly, terminal velocity
of a bullet is somewhere around 100mph (150fps). Enough to be lethal.
Besides, there a too many documented cases of death from falling bullets to
suggest that terminal velocity is non-lethal. The Myth Busters conclusion
that straight up is non-lethal was based on bullets bouncing off a pig's
head, or only slightly penetrating the skin and then bouncing off when fired
at 160fps. Valid in its own right, but contradicted by real world evidence
by a medical professional. I don't know how the density of a pig's head
compares to that of a human (though the term pig headed might have a place
here...) but it seems there are too many other factors that they did not
consider.


They further determined that a bullet fired at an angle not too far
off of 90 degrees maintains most of its velocity in flight, all they
through its arc and back to the ground.

I do not recall this conclusion and it did not appear in the web site I
viewed on this broadcast. Maybe I missed something?


In other words, most people firing guns into the air are essentially
doing the same thing as firing them straight out into their
neighborhood.

Not at all. There is this thing called muzzle velocity which is much higher
than terminal velocity. Firing straight out into the neighborhood is much
more dangerous.


--

-Mike-