Pump-gun as a weapon. Type of injuries, prohibition of weapons

Pumpguns are shotguns with pump action whose injuries and wound mechanisms have several special features: extremely high kinetic energy of the shot (2500 to 3500 J) frequent cases of "Kr?nlein shots" (exenteration of the brain) punchmark/imprint immediately adjacent to the entrance wound from the front of the pipe magazine exit wounds from buckshot may be similar to pellet entrance injuries from a distant shotgun discharge the use of various shotgun cartridges (plastic ammunition, slug bullet, various lead pellets) within the same weapon. The change in the Austrian gun law and the banning of the pumpgun in 1995 is also discussed in the article.     

A first time for everything: homicide involving the Brenneke SuperSabot shotgun slug

Sabot shotgun slugs are not a new projectile, but the Brenneke SuperSabot shotgun slug has never been reported in a homicide. We present the case of a 28-year-old man killed with multiple gunshot wounds during an alleged "drive-by" shooting. At autopsy, a 496.2 grain slightly deformed projectile with a base diameter of 5/8' (1.7 cm) was found within the decedent's clothing. Six distinct bullet tracks were identified. An entrance of the anterior right thigh was 3/4 x 5/8' and ovoid, having only passed through the decedent's jeans. This bullet track passed through the soft tissue of the right thigh, exiting out the medial aspect and partially transecting the right greater saphenous vein, re-entering the medial left thigh and re-exiting out the posterior left upper thigh. With the exception of an irregular entrance on the sole of the left foot, which passed through the decedent's shoe, all other entrances were less than 1/2' in greatest dimension. Investigating officers recovered an additional projectile of the same type, which had undergone more extensive deformation after striking and penetrating the tailgate of a truck. Further investigation identified the projectiles as the Brenneke SuperSabot shotgun slugs.     

Single wound produced by simultaneous discharge of both shells from a double-barrel shotgun

We present the case of a man who was killed by simultaneous discharge of both barrels of a double-barrel shotgun. Externally, there was a single wound simulating a wound made by a discharge of a single barrel. Test-firing of the shotgun against cloth, paper, and naugahyde targets revealed defects similar in shape to the wound in the victim. Simultaneous discharge of both barrels from a double-barrel shotgun may simulate the wound made by discharge of a single barrel.     

Entrance, exit, and reentrance of one shot with a shotgun

The case being reported is one of a homicidal shotgun fatality with an unusual wound pattern. A 34-year-old man was shot at close range with a 12-gauge shotgun armed with No. 5 birdshot ammunition. The shot entered the left axillary region, exited through the left infraclavicular region, and thereafter penetrated the left side of the neck, causing tearing of the left common carotid artery and the right internal carotid artery. The entrance wound in the axilla was larger than the other wounds, and before autopsy it was believed that the shotgun had been fired twice, causing one wound in the neck and one wound perforating the infraclavicular region and exiting through the left axillary region. Thus, this case shows that unusual wound patterns in shotgun fatalities can easily lead to incorrect assumptions with regard to number and direction of shots fired unless thorough investigation is carried out postmortem.     

The distribution of shotgun pellets after ricochet from an intermediate target surface

This paper presents a geometrical model for the ricochet of shotgun pellets from an intermediate target surface. The model predicts that after ricochet the shotgun pellet pattern will be elongated in the direction parallel to the intermediate target surface, as has been found in empirical studies. This paper also shows that the angle of impact theta of a mass of shotgun pellets with a target surface can be calculated without significant error from the width W and the length L of the pellet pattern using the formula: sin theta= W/L.     

Pellet embolization to the right atrium following double shotgun injury

A 28-year-old man sustained two shotgun injuries of the left inguinal region from a distance of about 1.5 m by simultaneous discharge of both shells from a sawn-off double-barrelled 16-bore shotgun (diameter of the lead pellets, 4 mm). The first X-ray examination carried out soon after hospital admission showed a single embolized pellet near the right margin of the cardiac silhouette. Eight months later, the man committed suicide by drug intoxication. At autopsy, the embolized pellet was found embedded between the pectinate muscles of the right atrium. On the basis of the reported case and with reference to the pertinent literature, the paper points out the medico-legal aspects of venous bullet/pellet embolism and the risk of lead poisoning after shotgun injury.     

Test-extractor marks under low pressure on shotgun cartridges

The necessity for firing high pressure test rounds to imprint extractor marks on shotgun cartridges in cases involving improvised or non-standard locally made firearms has been obviated. A suitable method for obtaining desired extractor marks on shotgun cartridges under low pressure has been suggested.     

差示扫描量热法检验猎枪弹丸

目的对不同厂家的猎枪弹丸进行区分和鉴别。方法使用功率补偿型差示扫描量热仪(DSC)对4种不同品牌的猎枪弹丸进行分析。结果可测得每种弹丸的DSC曲线和熔点温度Tm,熔融峰温Tmp,熔化焓ΔHm等热学参数。结论利用差示扫描量热法可以对不同品牌的猎枪弹丸进行鉴别,该方法为办案过程中遇到同号数不同品牌的猎枪弹丸鉴别提供了一种有效技术手段。     

Suicidal Shotgun Wound Employing a Shotgun Barrel,a Shotgun Shell,and a BB*

Abstract: A vast majority of firearms‐related suicides involve the conventional use of a properly functioning, intact firearm. Occasionally, forensic investigators encounter a case wherein the firearm suicide victim employs some form of unconventional use of a weapon, or utilizes an unusual weapon type. In this case report, the authors present an unusual case in which a man committed suicide by using a shotgun shell, a shotgun barrel (separate from the rest of the gun), and a BB. Some confusion as to the cause and manner of death was present during the initial scene investigation. Examination at autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a shotgun wound of the chest and prompted further scene investigation. Therefore, this case serves as another example of the importance of cooperation between scene investigators and forensic pathologists when investigating a death. A review of suicidal firearm cases using unconventional means and/or firearms is presented.     

Suicide by air rifle and shotgun

We report the case of a 39-year old white male who committed suicide by shooting himself with an air rifle and a shotgun. The ballistics of air guns and rifles, with particular reference to the Sheridan air rifle, are reviewed. Only two cases of multiple firearm suicide have been reported; both involved simultaneously fired handguns. Ours is the first case, to our knowledge, of an air rifle and a shotgun used in sequence to commit suicide.     

Firing distance estimates with pellet dispersion from shotgun with various chokes: an experimental, comparative study

There are several studies suggesting models for firing distance estimation due to pellet dispersion, but few of them consider the degree of choke of a shotgun. The purpose of this research is to suggest some models for estimation of the firing distance for choked and cylinder bore shotguns. Twelve gauge with full chokes, and 12 and 16 gauge with cylinder bore shotguns were fired with #2 and #5 shots from 75, 100, 300, 500, and 1000 cm distances. Statistically significant pellet dispersion values were found for each shotgun by using #2 and #5 shots for different firing distances. All the data obtained were analyzed with linear regression and four models were constituted. Investigators should use special formulae for each shotgun, degree of choke, and pellet type while determining the firing distance. Therefore, more experimental and comparative studies should be designed for each type.     

霰弹弹杯所致损伤及其应用价值

本文17例制式霰弹猎枪射入口和创道的病理形态学，通过结合射击实验获得了较为一致的结果。初步认为，商品霰弹中的塑料弹杯所造成射入口创缘或创周损伤的形态变化与射击距离密切相关，在法医学鉴定中具有一定的应用价值。     

Suicide by Shotgun in Southeastern Minnesota

Suicide by shotgun is a common method of suicide with high regional variation. We sought to describe their distinct, challenging features and provide demographic and risk characteristics. We reviewed 228 gunshot wounds autopsied at Mayo Clinic from 1994 to 2014; of these, 75 (32.9%) were shotgun wounds. All were suicides and contact range. Ages ranged from 14 to 92 years old; of these, 97% were men. The majority involved the head (70.9%), were intraoral (48.2%), and had upward (73.2%) and backward (73.2%) directionality. Next most common was the chest (21.5%), with backward (94.1%) and downward (64.7%) directionality. Four involved multiple wounds. Wadding was recovered in 16 (21.3%) cases. Six (8.0%) had a survival period. Most (66.7%) took place at home. Seventy‐one percent had a known psychiatric history; 32.4% had positive toxicology. Although contact range shotgun wounds cause severe destruction, entrance wound and other characteristic are identifiable with thorough scene, autopsy, and radiographic documentation.     

根据霰弹丸分布图形推断射击距离的实验研究

目的 建立推断制式霰弹猎枪射击距离的数学计算公式和方法。方法 选用国产制式12号及16号猎枪,配用1号及3号猎枪弹,以1至12m距离射击实验靶纸,获得霰弹分布图形360例,将图形测量数据与实验距离进行数学理论分析。结果 建立6种不同枪弹种类推断射击距离d的计算公式,分别为12-1型(缩口)ss=-0.2+0.44d;12-1型(无缩口)ss=-0.94+0.63d;12-3型(缩口)ss=-0.59+0.52d;12-3型(无缩口)ss=-0.36+0.34d;16-1型s=-0.37+0.30d;16-3型s=-0.16+0.23d,并用Visual Basic5.0软件编制通用程序汇总软件。结论 本研究建立的方法简单实用,误差较小,可以用于推断制式猎枪的射击距离。     

Time since discharge of shotgun shells

A technique for the estimation of time since discharge of a given class of spent shotgun shells is presented. The technique involved the use of SPME (Solid Phase Microextraction) sampling from the atmosphere inside spent shotgun shells. Compounds absorbed on the SPME fiber were desorbed and analyzed with GC-MS. The decrease in concentration of the combustion product naphthalene was monitored in all shells over a two-month period. Three conditions were examined to prevent naphthalene from escaping prior to testing the shells. A glass vial was successfully incorporated to halt the dissipation of naphthalene. At room temperature the naphthalene peak can be measured for several months and the curve-fitting data can lead to an estimation of time since discharge.     

A new type of shotgun ammunition produces unique wound characteristics

The Tucson Police Department, Tucson, AZ, has begun using the Polyshok Impact Reactive Projectile (IRP), a new type of shotgun ammunition that includes a lead bead core that travels within single, plastic-encased projectile. On impact, the core is released to distribute over a small area, thereby disintegrating on impact to reduce the likelihood of exit or collateral damage on missed shots. After a brief review of shotgun slug ballistics and wound characteristics and a discussion of the mechanism of the Polyshok IRP, we report the first death in the United States from this ammunition. Findings included a single entrance wound with plastic ammunition components and small lead particles recovered from the body, the combination of which normally would suggest a close-range shooting with birdshot. However, the characteristics of this ammunition create different patterns than are found with slugs or shot, so that a medical examiner unfamiliar with the Polyshok IRP could draw inaccurate conclusions about ammunition and range of fire. Because the single projectile fired from this ammunition is composed of both plastic and lead, plastic components are likely to be found within the wound at any range of fire, unlike traditional shot or slug ammunition. Also, the small size of lead particles found spread through the wound cavity would ordinarily suggest a small-size shot, whereas the external appearance of the wound (a single entrance with no dispersion of shot) and the pattern of tissue destruction are more consistent with the patterns of injury associated with shotgun slugs.     

根据猎枪射击弹壳痕迹判别枪种的研究

对国内6家定点生产的撅把式和唧筒式猎枪进行实验射击,分析了在弹壳上形成各种痕迹的机理及利用价值,提出了根据猎枪射击弹壳痕迹判别枪种的方法。     

Signature murders: a report of the 1984 Cranbrook, British Columbia cases

Two females, Denean Worms and Brenda Hughes, were murdered in separate events in Cranbrook, British Columbia in 1984 within three months of each other. Terrence Wayne Burlingham was found guilty of both murders and he appealed. The Supreme Court of Canada granted Burlingham a new trial in the Worms case, but no evidence from Burlingham's confession nor the murder weapon could be used. The Crown counsel requested an evaluation of the two murders to determine if they were committed by the same person. The analyses of those murders revealed that they were linked by a personal "signature" of the killer. The murder cases reported here demonstrate a control-oriented signature. The killer used a .410 shotgun as his method of control and death, engaged in overkill of each victim by shooting them twice in the head, and left the victims in sexually degrading positions. Another signature feature was the absence of typical wounds to the victims which would be expected from a serial sex offender. All of these characteristics, in combination, accounted for this killer's personal expression.     

Spinocerebral faecal migration in a shotgun injury

Migration of foreign material within the subarachnoid space is a rare event, seldom reported in the medical literature. We report a unique case in which spinocerebral migration of faecal material occurred as a direct consequence of a shotgun injury to the pelvis.     

Maximum range of pellets fired from a shotgun

A mathematical model to determine the maximum range of pellets fired from a shotgun has been suggested. It has been assumed that the air resistance experienced by a pellet is proportional to the square of its velocity (?μV²) where $\text{μ =}\text{A}\text{C}$ with

$\text{C=0.061}\text{86}\text{N}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}$

and

$\text{A=}\text{1}\text{[17 696+2N+10 000(0.2?d)]}$

N is the number of pellets/ounce and d is the diameter of the pellets in inches. A method for calculating the maximum range has been suggested, and the values obtained for Buck 00, size 8 and size 9 American pellets are very close to the reported experimental observations. The maximum ranges for other sizes of pellets have also been calculated. The angle of projection decreases with increase in velocity and increases with increase in the weight of the pellet. It varies between 26° to 32° for common sizes of pellets and standard shotgun velocity. The maximum range in air is only 1 – 3% of the range attained by a pellet in vacuum.