Metal pins fired from unmodified blank cartridge guns and very small calibre weapons--technical and wound ballistic...

Blank cartridge guns are generally regarded as being harmless and are not considered to be firearms in most countries. A comparison of the legal situations in Germany and Austria concerning weapons is given. There have been several reports of serious injuries and even fatalities due to these weapons. Ballistic experiments show that even unmodified blank cartridge guns and very small calibre weapons can fire wire nails and can inflict potentially fatal injuries even at distances of 50 cm. Two serious injuries inflicted by metal pins fired from a blank cartridge gun and a very small calibre weapon are reported. These cases suggest that such weapons should also be considered handguns in the legal sense.