Have you ever heard of the 21-gun salute? This is one of the most popular customary gun salutes performed as military honor.
Of course, there are many other gun salutes to know about, but besides the salute itself, you may wonder about the way the soldiers would shot up in the air to fire at the sky as a form of respect.
It’s interesting to see and very majestic, but have you ever thought about the bullets that are fired up in the sky as well? Many people would also end up wondering about what would happen to the stray bullets?
Won’t they fall from the air after doing a gun salute?
Read on as I show you about what happens during the gun salute and the stray bullets!
The Gun Salute and Dangers of Stray Bullets
The gun salute is made by firing shots up in the air for a certain number of times, depending on what type of salute it is. This is done by the soldiers of the military, with the 21-gun salute best known during a funeral of one of the fallen.
But why should you care about the stray bullets from the guns during the salute, if there are any?
That’s because it’s very dangerous to shoot up in the air, point-blank!
When you have a loaded gun and would shoot up in the air, take note of the law that “what comes up, must go down.”
So in this sense, while the bullet can go up very high, it will also end up going down, which may end up fatally injuring anyone who can get hit from it. So if you think about it, with a 21-gun salute, there are 21 chances of getting hit!
Do People Get Killed By Stray Bullets Falling From the Air After a Gun Salute?
Shooting your gun straight from the air is a huge no-no for shooters, so why would soldiers do it while performing a gun salute.
That’s because there are NO bullets inside the gun when making the shot, with the salutes done with blank rounds.
Soldiers would use modified guns that only fire blank rounds to ensure safety and makes it possible for soldiers to carry guns in public, as well as veterans who have histories that disallow them from possessing guns. That way, soldiers and veterans are able to participate in the ceremony and stay safe.
In Conclusion
Fortunately, there have been no incidents of people getting hurt or killed by stray bullets from a gun salute, because there aren’t any bullets to begin with.
So you will now be able to view the majestic and honorable gun salute with ease, knowing that there will be no one who’ll get hurt.
I hope that this article informed you about what the gun salute is and its safety. If you’d like to share your own experiences or insights on this honorable salute, then do share your comments down below. I would love to hear what you have to think.
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