Death rates due to gunshot wounds vary greatly around the world with high rates occurring in countries such as South Africa, Mexico, and the United States. Injuries caused by projectiles (missiles or bullets) fired from guns (firearms) have characteristic features that are influenced by the caliber of the weapon and the distance from the gun to the victim. The term “penetrating” is used when a projectile or missile has entered the body but not exited, whereas the term “perforating” indicates that the projectile/missile has passed completely through the body.
Weapons and Ammunition
The basic structure of a firearm consists of the part that is held by the hand that has the trigger finger – the grip, the part from which the bullet exits – the barrel, the trigger, the internal mechanisms that transfer the trigger pull into the firing of the bullet (usually including a “firing pin”), the firing chamber (which holds the cartridge that contains the bullet or projectiles to be fired), and,...
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Prahlow, J.A., Byard, R.W. (2012). Gunshot Wound Deaths. In: Prahlow, J.A., Byard, R.W. (eds) Atlas of Forensic Pathology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-058-4_13
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