BB and Pellet Guns — Toys or Deadly Weapons?

Abstract
BB and pellet weapons are not included in gun control laws and are often sold as children''s toys. Injuries caused by these weapons have been considered trivial unless they involve vulnerable surface organs such as the eye. Management of 6 cases of pellet or BB gun injuries that required abdominal exploration is reviewed. Of the 6 patients, 5 had significant internal injuries including perforations of the stomach, jejunum, liver and pancreas. Ballistics of pneumatic weapons are reviewed. Muzzle velocities of many of these weapons necessitate that wounds caused by these weapons be handled with the same principles as for any small-caliber, low-velocity (< 1200 ft/s) weapons. Public education programs are urgently needed to educate parents as to the potential danger involved in purchasing these weapons for unsupervised use as toys by children.