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Published on: November 29, 2024
Ball bearing (BB) guns, ease of purchase and potential for significant injury
C Grocock1, R McCarthy, D J Williams
1Department of Surgery, The Royal Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
Introduction:
Ball bearing guns are used in the UK for war games, but they have the potential to cause severe injury if used incorrectly.
Materials And Methods:
A search was made for availability of these weapons, the ease of purchase and the potential for tissue damage.
Results:
These weapons are widely available on the Internet and are easy to purchase with no security checks. Once fully charged, an electric BB gun is capable of penetrating a cadaveric animal model at distances up to 5 m (1 m = 25 mm penetration, 3 m = 20 mm penetration, 5 m = 15 mm penetration).
Conclusions:
BB guns are not toys and have a significant potential to cause injury.
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