Danger assessment of a spring-gun device (muzzleloader) loaded only with black powder

Voisard, Matthias X; Kneubuehl, Beat P (2010). Danger assessment of a spring-gun device (muzzleloader) loaded only with black powder. American journal of forensic medicine & pathology, 31(1), pp. 95-7. Hagerstown, Md.: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 10.1097/PAF.0b013e3181c65e49

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We report a case involving a spring-gun device (muzzleloader) loaded solely with gunpowder, installed next to shoes to prevent the neighbors' puppy from removing them. The booby trap was triggered by the 15-year-old dog-owners son when he tried to put the shoes out of the reach of the puppy. The boy suffered second degree superficial burns located mainly at the dorsal side of the right hand and fingers. To estimate the danger of the used weapon, several tests were undertaken on soap blocks from different distances and with different loads of black powder. The particle density per mm and the depth of black powder tattooing in the soap was compared with the boy's injuries, and found conclusive with the gun-owners statement regarding the loading of the weapon. Furthermore, our experiments indicated that the gunpowder load involved was not able to inflict permanent damage, not even to the eyes, at the here estimated firing distance.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Further Contribution)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Legal Medicine

UniBE Contributor:

Kneubühl, Beat P.

ISSN:

0195-7910

Publisher:

Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:10

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:01

Publisher DOI:

10.1097/PAF.0b013e3181c65e49

PubMed ID:

20010291

Web of Science ID:

000275250900025

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/1536 (FactScience: 203310)

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