Page "Gun safety" Paragraph 15

Two natural " safe " directions to point the muzzle are upwards ( at the sky ) and downwards ( at the ground ).

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Firing at the ground may result in a ricochet or cause hazardous fragments to be flung at people or objects.

Aiming upwards eliminates this risk but replaces it with the risk that the bullet may cause damage when it comes down to the ground again.

A bullet fired straight up only returns at the terminal velocity of the bullet.

However, a bullet fired at an angle not perfectly vertical will retain its spin on the way down and can attain much more lethal speeds.

Several accidents have reportedly been caused by discharging firearms into the air ; although the evidence in a few such cases has been disputed, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 43 likely cases of injury from falling bullets during 2004 New Year celebrations in Puerto Rico.

It is also possible that the muzzle will inadvertently be pointed at a non-target such as someone's head or an aircraft.