Which statement regarding gunshot wounds is correct?

• A. Low-velocity bullets will cause the greatest amount of trauma.
• B. The size of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced.
• C. High-velocity bullets will cause less severe internal injuries.
• D. The speed of a bullet has the greatest impact on the injury produced

Answer: (D)

Velocity determines how much energy is transferred to tissue. A bullet’s kinetic energy is 1/2 mv^2, so velocity has a squared effect. This means small increases in speed dramatically increase the damage the bullet can do, even if the bullet’s mass is not large. A fast, lighter bullet can cause substantial tissue disruption and a larger temporary cavity than a heavier, slower one, so speed is the primary factor shaping injury severity.

The other ideas—that bullet size is the most important factor or that high speed would mean less internal injury—don’t hold because mass contributes less to the overall injury than velocity, and higher speed generally produces more, not less, tissue damage.