Air Guns: Would You Buy These “Toys” for Your Children?

Abstract

Society and legislators perceive air guns (AGs) as toys or harmful items. Injuries in the thorax range from simple superficial ones to life-threatening ones. Although literature reports an alarming increase in the frequency and seriousness of the injuries caused by, the injuries rarely lead to death. Here, we presented a patient who was injured due to a potentially life-threatening AG. A 14-year-old boy was presented to our emergency department with chest injury after he had been shot by mistake by his 8-year-old brother with an air rifle from a distance of approximately 3 m. Upon examination, a single entrance wound at the right third intercostal space without exit wound and subcutaneous emphysema were observed. Computed tomography revealed right hemopneumothorax, lacerations, and right lung contusions. The patient was discharged on postoperative day five without any complications. Legislators should implement laws to avoid AG injuries and even deaths. Necessary steps should be taken to strictly control the registration, sale, and use of Ags like the equivalent guns. There is one question that the readers should address. Would you buy these “toys” for your children? As a father, I would definitely not.

Keywords

• Air gun
• chest
• injury