Blank Ammunition
Blank ammunition, which is a primed casing filled with gunpowder, either crimped or covered with a wad, is dangerous up to 15 feet. The gun sport of Fast Draw uses blanks to break balloon targets eight feet away. When the gun is fired, unburned powder comes out with enough force to break a balloon. The gun sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting challenges the horse and rider to race through a designated course while firing at and breaking balloon targets several feet away with blank ammunition. In the past, people have injured or killed themselves believing that blanks were not dangerous. Therefore, the first and second rules ("always treat the gun as if loaded", "never let the muzzle cover non-targets") apply to any gun, even one loaded with blanks.
Read more about this topic: Weapon Handling
Famous quotes containing the word blank:
“I have often wondered how they manage to get return envelopes which miss, by one-quarter of an inch, fitting the blank you are supposed to return. They say, “Please fill out and return the enclosed envelope,” and the enclosed envelope is always one-quarter of an inch too small.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)