 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | Can airguns kill people? |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:01 pm |
|
|
| gunzrus |
| New Member |

|
 |
| Joined: 13 Dec 2008 |
| Posts: 9 |
|
|
|
 |
I wonder, if an airgun could someone?
Let's take a .144 and .22 as examples. Let's say .144 is 1000 fps, and .22 is 800 fps. Could that kill?
I'm asking because my friend told me anything over 500 fps could kill. |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:31 pm |
|
|
| AirGunEric |
| Site Admin |

 |
 |
| Joined: 20 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 6929 |
| Location: "Out There" |
|
|
 |
What's a .144?
Any flying projectile can kill a person if they get hit in the right spot. Lawn darts and golf balls have killed people.
People can get shot with .44 cal bullets and not be dead- depends on where they're hit.
Pellet guns have no specific "crossover" point where they are suddenly deadly- 500fps is just a number someone arbitrarily picked for the point of laws/legislation/reference.
Try getting hit in the eye socket straight on at 400fps and chances are better it will find its way to your brain.
Either way, the point is they can be deadly, but like with anything it's going to depend on where one is hit. Everything can kill you if done in the correct fashion- a ballpoint pen, a pillow, a knife. It's not the device that's the issue, but the person using the device. |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:27 pm |
|
|
| rsterne |
| Moderator |

 |
 |
| Joined: 15 Jan 2008 |
| Posts: 2998 |
| Location: Coalmont, BC |
|
|
 |
They can, and have, so the answer to your question is "YES"....
Bob |
|
_________________ Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal: Too many to count! |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:40 pm |
|
|
| Rogerflat |
| Silver Status Member |

 |
 |
| Joined: 03 Jan 2008 |
| Posts: 2051 |
|
|
|
 |
Yes, and it's a .177 cal.
Recently I posted a link to a story about kids being killed by being shot in the heart and head with bb guns. So it is possible.
In fact, airguns are lethal weapons, even for use on humans. However, they are not the best suited weapons for that. It'd be like holding a 357 magnum and asking "Could this kill an elephant?" Well, yes it certainly could. But you wouldn't chose that gun for that task if you had the choice.
So I guess what I'm saying is, don't shoot your wife with your RWS if you expect to get away with it. Instead, smoother her with a pillow then chop her up into little pieces and tell the neighbors she moved to Florida. |
|
_________________ I done been assisted by the trees and rivers. Never needed any minister to figure my divinity. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:02 pm |
|
|
| broommaster2000 |
| Moderator |

 |
 |
| Joined: 10 Mar 2007 |
| Posts: 5714 |
| Location: City of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands |
|
|
 |
You need a BFR 45-70 as a side arm when elephant hunting. But it still will be like throwing needles at someone's face.
You don't want to piss off elephants. |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:06 pm |
|
|
| Rogerflat |
| Silver Status Member |

 |
 |
| Joined: 03 Jan 2008 |
| Posts: 2051 |
|
|
|
 |
| I saw a vid of a guy taking out an elephant with a crossbow, so.... |
|
_________________ I done been assisted by the trees and rivers. Never needed any minister to figure my divinity. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:35 pm |
|
|
| broommaster2000 |
| Moderator |

 |
 |
| Joined: 10 Mar 2007 |
| Posts: 5714 |
| Location: City of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands |
|
|
 |
_  |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:54 pm |
|
|
| Slavia |
| Moderator |

 |
 |
| Joined: 31 Mar 2008 |
| Posts: 4382 |
| Location: Waseca, Minnesota, USA |
|
|
 |
There have been both murders and accidental deaths with airguns. Do an internet search and you'll find examples.
So the answer is "yes, they can." Which means they are not toys, and should be handled with the same safety procedures as powder-burning arms.
But then, we already knew that. |
|
_________________
¡Listo! ¡Apunte! ¡Fuego! |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:27 pm |
|
|
| fritz |
| Silver Status Member |

 |
 |
| Joined: 25 Nov 2008 |
| Posts: 2442 |
| Location: New Jersey- outside of Philadelphia |
|
|
 |
| Wait, I'm not supposed to play with my guns? That takes the fun out of it. |
|
_________________ "I never set out to be wierd, it was always everyone else who called me it" -Frank Zappa
Speed is impressive, accuracy is deadly.
It's not that I'm not a people person, it's just that I'm not a stupid people person. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:48 pm |
|
|
| cw |
| Banned |
 |
 |
| Joined: 10 Feb 2008 |
| Posts: 1771 |
|
|
|
 |
| Play in a disciplined way. |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 12:00 am |
|
|
| AirGunEric |
| Site Admin |

 |
 |
| Joined: 20 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 6929 |
| Location: "Out There" |
|
|
 |
| fritz wrote: |
| Wait, I'm not supposed to play with my guns? That takes the fun out of it. |
If you want to shoot yourself in the a$$, feel free- but you might want to avoid doing this to others. |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:11 am |
|
|
| kanyon |
| Silver Status Member |

|
 |
| Joined: 09 Aug 2008 |
| Posts: 1582 |
| Location: New Zealand |
|
|
 |
Dam right they can.
Just ask the NZ police force a cop was killed
with a FX Moonsoon 3 months ago.
And now they are talking of limiting the power
here to 25ftlbs and over that you will need a fire arms licance.
And no mods "how they are going to know whats inside
is beond me" |
|
_________________ Career Infinity PCP .22
Webley Patriot .25
Hatsan mod 75 .22
Hatsan mod 99 .177 (Quattro & SAS)
Kral underlever .177
.............................................
. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:50 am |
|
|
| ustilago |
| Member |

 |
 |
| Joined: 07 Dec 2008 |
| Posts: 24 |
| Location: Coldhell, AB |
|
|
 |
25FPE!!! NZ, officially now has the second sanest airgun laws that I know of (after the US with no restrictions on power).
There have been two incidents in the last year where kids have been killed with pellet guns in Canada. Generally, it happens when someone is screwing around, shooting unsafely. . . |
|
_________________ Are you Shpongled? |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 3:03 am |
|
|
| AirGunEric |
| Site Admin |

 |
 |
| Joined: 20 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 6929 |
| Location: "Out There" |
|
|
 |
Just for reference, 25ft-lbs of power isn't as restricted as alot of places. A 14.3gr .22 pellet traveling at 875fps is still under 25fpe. The same pellet in the UK would be illegal traveling at 615fps, and illegal Canada at 501fps (under 8fpe at that point).
I'm not suggesting power restrictions are a good idea, but on a relative scale- 25fpe is not obscenely low, until the government decides to change it again (which invariably occurs over time with any government). It's still the same idea- the gun isn't a/the problem, the shooter controlling said gun is. |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
 |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:37 am |
|
|
| ustilago |
| Member |

 |
 |
| Joined: 07 Dec 2008 |
| Posts: 24 |
| Location: Coldhell, AB |
|
|
 |
That's exactly my point Eric. I'm not afraid of guns. . . not even big powerful scary looking guns. . . it's idiots with guns that scare me.
How do you keep guns out of the hands of idiots? Take them away from everybody, of course  |
|
_________________ Are you Shpongled? |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|  |  |  | | | |  |  |
Note: If you are seeing "Please enter your username and password to log in." Your browser cookies have been reset
or you need to register to access the topic in question. Use the 'Register' button near the top left of this page.
|