[TheForge] Just watched the Mythbusters try to shatter hammers

[Todd Rich]

On Thu, 30 Nov 2006, Larry Brown wrote:
(snip)
>> Larry, they also showed two cases in that epside where people suffered 
>> signifigant injuries as a result of shooting into the air.  One of whom 
>> died as a result.  They specifically said that if it wasn't exactly 
>> straight up and there was any angle to the shot, it could, and has, killed 
>> people.
>
> Must have missed that few minutes, commercials bore me to sleep, Wasn't in 
> their conclusion if I remember correctly
> LB
>

I just watched the end again, and you remember incorrectly.  From the 
Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_%28season_3%29#Episode_50_.E2.80.94_.22Bullets_Fired_Up.22

And for those that don't want to follow the link:
Myth statement
Bullets fired into the air maintain their lethal capability when they 
eventually fall back down.

Status

Busted , Plausible, and Confirmed

Notes

In the case of a bullet fired at a precisely vertical angle (something 
extremely difficult for a human being to duplicate), the bullet would 
tumble, lose its spin, and fall at a much slower speed due to terminal 
velocity and is therefore rendered less than lethal on impact. However, if 
a bullet is fired upward at a non-vertical angle (a far more probable 
possibility), it will maintain its spin and will reach a high enough speed 
to be lethal on impact. Because of this potentiality, firing a gun into 
the air is illegal in most states, and even in the states that it is 
legal, it is not recommended by the police. Also the MythBusters were able 
to identify two people who had been injured by falling bullets, one of 
them fatally injured.