When people fire guns into the air to celebrate New Year’s eve, is there a risk or danger from the bullets coming back down? Or not so much anymore because of the speed and gravity as well as velocity compared to when first fired?
Yea pretty stupid idea.
People who do this don’t understand physics—Let me tell you why it’ll kill you—just as dead as a direct shot.
A bullet fired straight up slows down, sure—But physics is a mean bastard—That round comes down at terminal velocity—anywhere from 200 to 400 feet per second depending on the caliber.
Not much right?—But, a bullet can pass through your skull just needing 200 feet per second.
The real nasty aspect is the angle a bullet is fired—They keep a hell of a lot more of their original speed, spin, follow a parabolic trajectory—speeds up to 600 feet per second—Might as well be shooting straight at someone.
People are killed each year from this—Physicians refer to them as “celebratory gunfire fatalities.”
The bullets come down like angry wasps, piercing roofs, cars, and skulls—In the U.S. alone, dozens get hit annually. Some make it, some don’t—Pure luck which group you end up in.
You can’t hear them coming—No crack of gunfire, no warning. Just sudden impact—like death falling from a clear sky.