obviously not shot much up in the air

by bj , Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 11:13 (4721 days ago) @ Hobie

The myth that shooting up in the air is dangerous is just a myth. This myth has been debunked so many times that the only thing funny about it is how many people still believe it. Hatcher debunked the myth. Mythbusters debunked the myth. But it still persists.

Sure if you shoot "up in the air" like you were shooting a bird off of your neighbor's roof, that bullet will travel a long way and can damage whatever it hits. Whether a black powder bullet can go 1.5 miles is a good question though. But if you shoot up in the air as in straight up, then you won't hurt anything except possibly a bird or airplane if they are extremely unlucky.

I've been suspicious that some lawbreakers use occasions such as new year's to take care of business. Shoot one of their enemies during a time when people are known to "shoot up in the air" and then claim that he was killed by a falling bullet.

One of the rules of safe shooting says to know your backstop, and shooting up in the air clearly violates this rule. Shooting anywhere outside in a populated area or incorporated area is stupid because you're going to face legal consequences.

In the article it sounds like the shooting was an accident, and the tragic injury of someone 1.5 miles away means that the person was extremely unlucky.