Bullets fired into the air land somewhere.
Sheriff: Stray bullet kills Amish teen 1.5 miles away
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It is definitely possible to kill someone from a mile and a half away, snipers certainly try it on occasion. Shooting a gun at a very high angle however, like straight up is very unlikely to kill someone. The terminal velocity of a bullit shot straight up is going to be about 100mph. That is fast enough to hurt but not likely to kill. A gun shot at a low angle is a different story altogether. As long as a bullit is still spinning it is likely to be going faster than 100 mph. The lower the angle the shorter distance of travel. One and one half miles is a pretty great distance for a nine millemeter especially a hollow point. A good review of the problem was done by Mythbusters. Here is a link to their story.
http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/04/episode_50_bullets_fired_up_vo.html
A few years back I found a rifle bullet in the parking lot of where I worked that was sticking up at about an 80-degree angle. It had obviously been fired into the air at a steep angle. It had mushroomed appreciably from impact with the asphalt. I seriously doubt that anyone hit in the head by it would have survived.
Granted, the probability of hitting someone is pretty low, but when you fire into the air you are saying that you are willing to take the chance that you will accidentally kill someone because you are special.
And if you do kill someone by firing into the air, are you saying that you should not be prosecuted for negligent homicide?
Is a “bullit” the same thing as a “bullet”?