Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site mhuxt.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!js2j From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag) Newsgroups: net.legal,net.politics Subject: Re: NYC subway "hero" Message-ID: <532@mhuxt.UUCP> Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 12:53:22 EST Article-I.D.: mhuxt.532 Posted: Mon Jan 21 12:53:22 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 05:27:00 EST References: <776@reed.UUCP> <709@hou2h.UUCP> <912@amdahl.UUCP> <305@desint.UUCP> <170@cadre.ARPA> <491@fisher.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 27 Xref: watmath net.legal:1340 net.politics:7027 > (4) Some of his bullets of the dum-dum variety, indicating > that the infliction of pain was as much on his mind as > self-defense. While I personally feel that Goetz used much more force than was necessary to defend himself, I can't help but wonder about statements like this. Bullets come in two flavors: those which are fully jacketed, and those which are not. The non-fully jacketed ones are used for hunting, and expand when they hit, which (usually) keeps the animal from running on for a few miles and dying back in the brush somewhere, which would be a useless waste of meat. The fully jacketed ones are used by armies and cops, and usually do less damage. When a bullet is used on a person, the press apparently checks to see which kind was used. If it's the common variety used for hunting, they call it a dum-dum. If it's the kind used by cops, they call it an 'armour piercing' type, since the fully jacketed variety is more capable of penetration than the other kind. Either way, to the average non-gun using person, it ends up sounding as though whoever shot the bullet went to great lengths to get special killer type bullets, and apparently the press encourages this, as it makes the event more sensational. -- Jeff Sonntag ihnp4!mhuxt!js2j "You see, we KNEW he'd lost control when he built a fire on Main Street and shot it full of holes." - Dylan