Bullets
Bullets, Guns and Worst Case Scenarios
2 - The case; which is what holds all the other parts together.
3 - The propellant for an example; gunpowder or cordite.
4 - The rim, provides extractor with a place to grip the casing, to remove it from the chamber once the bullet is fired.
5 - The primer, the firing pin inside of the gun crushes the primer igniting the propellant.
When you typically see a shotgun or think of a shotgun you might think of the ammunition as the shot, firing multiple projectiles in one shot. This is in fact the original projectiles made for shotguns and you'd be correct if you assumed it is the most commonly used ammunition for a shotgun.
Shotgun Slug
A shotgun slug is a alternative to the shotgun shell, instead of multiple small projectiles it has one big projectile. Which causes greater damage. Used for hunting big animals.
Hallow Point
Effects
You can see from what happened to President Garfield that finding all the fragments is crucial to survival and not being able to locate any fragments can have major consequences and be lethal.
When a bullet is lodged inside the body it's extremely lethal and requires immediate surgery, this goes hand-in-hand with the hallow point bullets. Because they stop inside the body and expand while inside as well, it makes them extremely deadly and excruciatingly painful, which is the reason why the U.S. Military prohibits they usage. As we see with what happened to President Garfield, he endured terrible pain for the remainder of his life.
There are so few places in the human body that you can be shot without damaging any tissues, muscles or bones. This means that bullets have lasting effects, if you survive you can live with the repercussions of the wound. Even if you are shot in one of the places where you wouldn't have any of these lasting wounds. There would still be a very high chance that you'd bleed out before getting help, this is actually the biggest cause of death from bullet wounds.
Airplanes and Guns?
Actually, there are multiple different possibilities; for example, if the bullet simply passes through the aluminum skin, doesn't hit electrical wring, a gas tank or a window and just makes a small hole, it would barely be noticeable. In fact you could make several holes. How? A small hole or two wouldn't cause a problem for the aircraft because the cabin is pressurized and the bullet would only create a small leak for which the pressurization system can compensate.
The Myth-busters tested this myth for themselves:
How To Survive
If you are somehow shot or if someone else is shot, there are multiple steps to take so that you/they have a better chance of survival.
- Get help, contact emergency services. In the meantime or if emergency services are for some reason unavailable, it is crucial to try and stabilize yourself or whoever you're helping.
- Controlling the bleeding is of the most important things to be done. Most victims of gunshot wounds die because of bleeding out before help can arrive.
- Make as few movements as possible. Unless you need to move to a safe location.
- Gunshot wounds often lead to shock, which is caused by trauma or reduced blood flow throughout the body.
Loss of blood is a major factor with staying alive and thus blood transfusion are very common with gunshot wounds. However, receiving blood from a different host is more complicated then putting blood into your veins. Every person has a blood type, depending on their type they can or can't receive certain blood types. As I learned in our last unit of biology, blood type varies and having the wrong type o blood put into your system can have negative side effects.
I feel that this is knowledge that everybody should know, not that I think they'll need it. But, if you were in the situation where you did you would want to know what to do.
Bibliography
Minié ball. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini%C3%A9_ball
(n.d.). Retrieved from http%3A%2F%2Ffwpiis.mt.gov%2Fcontent%2FgetItem.aspx%3Fid%3D30933
Ballistic trauma. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_trauma
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/divi_flash.html
Shotgun slug. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun_slug
"Section 16a Firearms Act 1968." Section 16a Firearms Act: Sentencing Manual: Legal Guidance: The Crown Prosecution Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/section_16a_firearms_act/>.
"Shot (pellet)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_(pellet)>.Shocking Footage: Americans Ordered Out Of Homes At Gunpoint By SWAT teams. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.infowars.com/shocking-footage-americans-ordered-out-of-homes-at-gunpoint-by-swat-teams/
Section 16a Firearms Act 1968. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/section_16a_firearms_act/Assassination of James A. Garfield. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_James_A._GarfieldFIREARMS TUTORIAL. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/GUNS/GUNSTAT.html(n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow-point_bullet#HistoryMythBusters- Explosive Decompression | MiniMyth. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yG2h1aDB6k