FL theatre shooting. One shot from a .380?!

[HardDrive]

Putting aside the social/political/emotional issues, anyone catch the detail about the gun? The victim was killed by a single shot from a .380, and the round appears to have went through his wifes hand prior to hitting him.

I'm a bit amazed by this. I very much doubt that the victim's wife's hand was on his face, so one can assume he was shot in the chest. From point blank range, the round had enough power to penetrate a woman hand, and deep enough into a large mans chest to cause a fatal injury. A sad testament to the engineering that has went into modern propellants and bullet design.

The moral of the story? Shot placement is more important than the round used.




(Quietly hoping this ends the .270 vs. .30-06 debate forever.......)

[onewhippedpuppy]

People have been killed by a .22, you just never know.

[Steve Carlton]

I prefer the stopping power of a .45 at the movies, personally.

[Rick Lee]

I carry a .40, but don't go to movie theatres.

[Steve Carlton]

A .40 is good for casual lunches and tea parties.

[weseeeee]

I agree placement is everything! btw, the .40 is perfect for brunch but a bit much for breakfast.

[Rusty914s]

I carry a .50 for long lines at the bank.

[speeder]

Bottom line is that none of us commentators were there but plenty of people were. It did not happen in a deserted alley or out in the woods.

From the bare sketch of the story, it sounds like the old guy lost his temper and just snapped. This is about the A number one argument against letting everyone carry a loaded gun around with them everywhere they go. Having a bad day, maybe not in the best emotional state, frustrated with life, who hasn't been there? Some A-hole gets in your face and BOOM.

Sounds like it anyways.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

A .40 is good for casual lunches and tea parties.

.40 at a tea party? I'm guessing your the type the would wear white pants after labor day.

[jyl]

I think the shooter was under gunned, against the flying popcorn. He's lucky he made it out alive.

[AFC-911]

I hear a Bushmaster XM15-E2S is particularly effective in an elementary school.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Rusty914s

I carry a .50 for long lines at the bank.

"Barrett" is listed in the dictionary between "Banking" and "Breathing".

Coincidence?

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by weseeeee

I agree placement is everything! btw, the .40 is perfect for brunch but a bit much for breakfast.

The smaller calibers go to the edges of the place setting. Even numbers on the right, odd numbers on the left.

- Miss Manners

[red-beard]

[Z-man]

Penetration and stopping power have more to do with the type of bullet vs. the caliber. A FMJ (full metal jacket) bullet will pass through more objects than a hollow point or home defense round.

Hollow points have more stopping power, and are less likely to hit things behind the target, which is why they are better for home defense situations. If you miss the perp, a FMJ bullet can go through a couple of sheetrock walls, and has the potential of striking a family member in the other room.

-Z

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

People have been killed by a .22, you just never know.

i seem to remember somewhere reading a statistic that the .22 was actually, in people killed yearly, the most lethal round. something about it being so common, that most gun accidents are with .22s.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Z-man

Penetration and stopping power have more to do with the type of bullet vs. the caliber. A FMJ (full metal jacket) bullet will pass through more objects than a hollow point or home defense round.

Hollow points have more stopping power, and are less likely to hit things behind the target, which is why they are better for home defense situations.

-Z

That depends....

I don't think .32ACP nor .380ACP should be used with hollow points. If the FBI is to be believed, expanding rounds in these calibers don't penetrate enough. Z-man, I'd agree with the statement when discussing 9mm Luger (9x19) and above. The time period when the .32ACP and the .380ACP were prominent, they used solid bullets.

[Lothar]

.380 is good for warmer weather when people are wearing lighter clothing. Winter coats and such tend to distract light, low powered rounds from their intended task.

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by red-beard

That depends....

I don't think .32ACP nor .380ACP should be used with hollow points. If the FBI is to be believed, expanding rounds in these calibers don't penetrate enough. Z-man, I'd agree with the statement when discussing 9mm Luger (9x19) and above. The time period when the .32ACP and the .380ACP were prominent, they used solid bullets.

True - I should have said that the hollow vs. FMJ argument really applies when dealing with larger caliber ammo.

Do they even make a hollow point .22 LR rimfire bullet?

On a side note, here are two interesting laws from the nanny state of NJ:
1. Transport of hollow point ammunition is limited to:
- From ammo store to residence
- From residence to target range (& visa versa)
- From residence to hunting area (& visa versa)
- Transporting hollow points anywhere else, or deviating from the route is a felony offense in NJ. (IIRC, it is a second or third degree offense)
- While there are provisions to transport firearms from one residence to a new residence when moving, it is illegal in NJ to transport hollow point ammo from one place of residence to a new place of residence.

2. It is not illegal to have hollow point ammo in NJ. However, if hollow points are used in a crime, there is a second offense the perp will be charged with.

I suppose the old man who shot the texting man in the movie theature was using FMJ. Haven't heard otherwise...

-Z

Sorry for the tangent...

[matt711]

There are some pretty hot .380 loads out there now. Pocket pistols are really making a comeback and ammunition technology is keeping pace. Still don't think I would bet my life on anything less than .35 or 9mm.