CIVILIAN GUNSHOT WOUNDS AND BALLISTICS - DISPELLING THE MYTHS

This review outlines the foundations of ballistics and provides guidel ines for the emergency care of those wounded by gunfire. It also descr ibes the causes of recently increasing misinformation that is confusin g and misleading trauma surgeons. Among these causes are an increasing firearm illiteracy, failure of the editorial and peer review in the t rauma surgery literature to adequately evaluate wound ballistics paper s, and widespread distortions promulgated by gun prohibitionist advoca tes. Solving these problems requires strict adherence to fundamental s cientific method and the basic precepts of academic honesty and schola rly integrity.