Wounding potential of muzzle-loaded projectiles discharged from unmodified blank pistols

Abstract

ABSTRACT Blank pistols are considered non-lethal-purpose imitation firearms that have been modified to function as real weapons in many countries. In Taiwan, gang members use unmodified blank pistols to fire muzzle-loaded projectiles. Herein, the muzzle energy density (ED) of the discharged muzzle-loaded projectiles was used to evaluate the wounding potential of unmodified blank pistols. A series of firing tests was conducted using three unmodified blank pistols, two projectiles, and three brands of blank cartridges. The EDs of the projectiles were determined using ballistic chronographs. The means of the ED ( ED ‾ ) of the pistols firing various cartridges and projectiles were 20.3–48.6 J/cm2. These values are all substantially higher than the human skin penetration threshold value (10 J/cm2). The results indicate that unmodified blank pistols can fire projectiles and inflict severe injuries. Therefore, they should be legally controlled in Taiwan. Additionally, a Student’s t-test of ED ‾ between paired projectiles demonstrated a significant influence of the sectional density (m p /S) of the projectiles on their ED ‾ , which was attributed to the inversely proportional effects of m p /S on the downrange deceleration of the projectiles. The results of this study indicate that steel projectiles are suitable for evaluating the wounding potential of unmodified blank pistols.