Gunshot Wounds

7 Pages 1852 Words

Running head: GUNSHOT WOUNDS


Abstract
The following research paper is on gunshot wounds. One of the major topics that will be discussed in this paper is the velocity of the bullet when it enters the body. Handgun bullets have low velocity and low energy, while rifle bullets are high in both velocity and energy. Additionally, close contact gunshot wounds, intermediate wounds, distant wounds, and exit wounds will be explored. The author will also discuss the individual characteristics of a bullet, including size, shape, and location of ejector and extractor marks. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the many ways to identify a suicide by a gunshot wound will be discussed, due to the complexities encountered when dealing with this issue.











Gunshot Wounds
As our society today becomes more and more violent, we continue to see the number of gunshot wounds on a daily basis increase. In my opinion the reason that this type of wound is so common is because guns are so easy to use, and they are very accessible. Gunshot wounds are extremely devastating and in a number of cases, result in death. Military literature documents that at least 40% of casualties on a battlefield are due to penetrating head trauma, of which at least 70% are attributed directly to posterior fossa injuries (Yuceer, 1999). Gunshot wounds are not always the result of homicide or suicide, however. In our country there are a great number of accidental shootings each year. This is one problem that must be fixed in our society.
There are three basic types of gunshot wounds that I would like to discuss. The first type of wound is a contact wound. This type of wound occurs when the muzzle of the firing gun comes in contact, or a few inches from the body. When the barrel of the gun has contacted the skin, gases are released and pass into the subcutaneous tissues, causing a stellate shaped laceration (Jones, 2004). Some characteristics of...