Blank (cartridge)
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Blankcartridge.jpg
Blankcartridge.jpg
blank cartridges, as used in nail guns
A blank is a type of cartridge for a gun that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot. Blanks are commonly used for safety reasons in military training maneuvers, in movies that require gun fights and in starter's pistols to signal the beginning of races.
However, it should be noted that given the explosiveness of a blank cartridge they are by no means safe, as evidenced by the deaths of actors Brandon Lee and Jon-Erik Hexum both of whom were killed with blank guns while filming a movie and TV series, respectively. Lee was killed by an old cartridge fragment lodged in the gun, while Hexum died when a wadding penetrated his skull. Even the explosion alone can cause damage to the eardrum.