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The wounding potential of assault rifles: analysis of the dimensions of entrance and exit wounds and comparison with conventional handguns. A multicentric study

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Abstract

The appearance of a gunshot wound (GSW) is greatly influenced by the velocity of the projectile, where high-velocity projectiles (HVPs) are defined as ballistic agents reaching a muzzle velocity of > 600 m/s fired from assault rifles. The aim of the study is to present and explain the differences in the dimensions of entrance and exit wounds between the most used handguns and assault rifles and to propose a predictor of HVP, i.e., the ratio of exit and entrance wounds (EX/ENR). The surface area of entrance and exit GSWs and the EX/ENR were calculated. 66 perforating GSWs produced by NATO FMJ 7.62 × 52 mm and 5.56 × 42 mm fired from assault rifles were assigned to the HVP, while 64 lesions produced by conventional projectiles fired from revolvers and semi-automatic pistols were assigned to the low-velocity projectile (LVP) group. The dimensions of the exit wounds of the HVP group were significantly higher when compared to the LVP group (95% CI 0.9886–2.423, p < 0.05). The HVP group showed significantly higher values for the EX/ENR when compared to the LVP group (95% CI 2.617–7.173, p < 0.05). The evaluation of the EX/ENR can be considered an adequate tool to assess the type of weapon involved and to roughly estimate the associated wounding mechanisms, which can guide both the physician in the management and treatment of the patients affected by GSW, and the forensic pathologist in crime investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Section of Legal Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Anna Maria Manta, Pia Eugenia Ylenia Petrasso, Luca Tomassini, Gianluca Niccolò Piras, Simone Cappelletti, Marco Straccamore, Vittorio Fineschi & Costantino Ciallella

  2. Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Alessandro De Maio

  3. Department of Health Surveillance and Bioethics, Section of Legal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy

    Chiara Siodambro & Antonio Oliva

  4. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Legal Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy

    Stefania De Simone & Luigi Cipolloni

  5. Department of Pathology, Division of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Vichan Peonim & Wisarn Worasuwannarak

  6. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

    Laura Fulginiti

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  1. Anna Maria Manta
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Contributions

Conceptualization: CC. Methodology: CC. Data collection: LT, SC, CS, SDS, VP, MS. Formal analysis and investigation: AMM, PEYP, ADM, GNP. Writing—original draft preparation: CC, AMM. Writing—review and editing: PEYP, SC, WW, AO, LC, LF. Supervision: VF, CC. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Anna Maria Manta.

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Manta, A.M., Petrasso, P.E.Y., Tomassini, L. et al. The wounding potential of assault rifles: analysis of the dimensions of entrance and exit wounds and comparison with conventional handguns. A multicentric study. Forensic Sci Med Pathol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-023-00767-3

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