Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (OFV) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Small caliber velocity Message-ID: <13416@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 23 Jan 90 03:57:34 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Lines: 28 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Mary Shafer (OFV) Proof of fatality of bullets fired in the air: An article in the Los Angeles Times which mentioned the presence at a press conference of the mother of a boy who was killed Christmas 88/New Year's 89 by a falling bullet here in LA. The boy was 12 and was struck on the head by a falling bullet and died three days later. Those of us who live in the LA area are not quite so surprised by all this--we have injuries every year and fatalities every few years, around the holiday season. These accidents are used to justify re-legalizing fireworks, which it is claimed the shooting in the air emulates. The argument is that blowing off a few hands and blinding a few kids with fireworks would be better than wounding or killing them. On the premise of natural selection in action, they may have a point, since fireworks tend to injure their users, where the bullets seem to get bystanders. [mod.note: I think this and yesterday's posting pretty well establish the point. - Bill ] -- Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA