Happy New Year! Don’t Fire Your Guns Into The Air! (and don’t do it twice as fast with a speedloader!)

At Speed Beez, we’re fan of shooting guns. We have lots…and lots…and lots of guns, (hey, we have to test out our new speedloaders somehow, right?) and we get out there and shoot as much as we can.

So we like things that explode and make a lot of noise, which includes fireworks. So on New Year’s Eve, you might find us firing off a bottle rocket or two (or a couple of gross). One thing we can’t recommend? Firing your guns into the air in celebration, even if you can do it really fast with one of our speedloaders. Why?

Mythbusters!

Episode 50 aired April 19, 2006 took on the idea that bullets shot into the air can come down and be lethal. So what did they find? It might surprise you.

Firing it straight up: Putting aside the fact that it’s almost impossible for a human to fire a bullet at a perfect 90-degree angle, firing a bullet straight up into the air is actually the safest way to do it. You might not think so considering it might come straight down on your head. But when you fire it straight up, it eventually loses its spin and then falls down to earth before it can reach terminal velocity. It might sting when it hits you, but it won’t kill you.

Firing it at an angle: This is where it gets tricky. Because of the angle, it’s more likely to hit the ground (or much worse, someone) before it loses the energy it gained from the exploding gunpowder in the cartridge. The shallower than angle, the more energy it still has and the more lethal it will be.

Want to learn a bit more about it? Check out this link right here. 

Remember, firing a gun into the air is illegal in most states, and it’s easy to see why when it could be lethal. Be careful this New Years, and leave the guns in the safe!