The appearance of a blank cartridge is deceptively harmless and can give a false sense of safety. Although blank cartridges do not contain a bullet, precautions are still required because fatalities and severe injuries have resulted on occasions when blank cartridges have been fired at very close ranges.
Blank cartridges frequently contain a paper or plastic plug which seals the powder in the case called a wad. This wad can cause bruising at medium ranges and severe penetrating wounds at close range. There is also a cloud of hot, expanding gas which is expelled at extremely high velocity from the muzzle when a blank cartridge is fired. These high velocity gases can inflict severe injuries (see powerhead for an example) at close ranges. Additionally, if there is any small debris lodged inside the barrel it will be expelled at a similar velocity to a bullet, with the ability to inflict a severe wound. Finally, the extremely loud noise of blanks being fired can damage the hearing of people in the immediate area.
In general, such incidents occur when blank cartridges are fired by people who are unaware of their destructive capabilities. Actors in particular are at serious risk of injury from blank cartridges used on movie sets. Brandon Lee and Jon-Erik Hexum were both killed in accidents involving blank cartridges. Lee was killed because the gun had earlier experienced a squib load, in which a bullet had been left in the barrel, unknown to those on hand. It was propelled when the gun was loaded with blanks for the scene being shot. As reported in the investigation and court records, when Blank Ammo was loaded into the gun by someone other than the firearms expert the first shot was destined to fire the bullet out of the barrel.[citation needed] Hexum was killed when he placed a blank-loaded gun to his head and pulled the trigger- he did not realize the blanks had sufficient force to push the wad from the blank through his skull, sending bone fragments deep into his brain.
