ABSTRACT

Blank cartridge guns can be altered as harmful handguns with a simple modification in their barrel. As a result, these guns may inflict serious and potentially life threatening injuri-es. In this study, it is aimed to draw attention to risks of blank cartridge guns of which use becoming more common.

The records of the Council of the Forensic Medicine Adana Group Administration were used. Five cases of deaths due to modified blank cartridge guns injuries during the period of Ja-nuary 2006 and November 2006 were analyzed.

All of the victims were male, and their ages ranged between 25 and 40 years. Four (80%) of all cases were recorded as homi-cide and in these cases shot were from a wide distance. In this study, it is determined that, blank cartridge guns can, even in shot from wide distance, cause fatal injuries, and blank cartrid-ges could rarely exit from body. Since the ballistic value of this kind of weapons is limited, the possibility of increase in num-ber of unsolved homicides should be considered.

In conclusion, the restriction of the sale, possession and use of this kind of weapons by local authorities and governorship is not enough. This issue should be considered a widespread problem of our country and comprehensive legal regulations should be set up.

Keywords: Blank cartridge guns, forensic medicine, ho-micide.