[Suicide with a walking cane gun: weapon, injury picture and psychopathology].
In Germany firearms camouflaged as items of daily use are forbidden. While reports on ball-point pen-guns have repeatedly been published in literature, the use of a walking-stick gun is a rarity. The report deals with the suicide of a 31-year-old schizophrenic man who inflicted a shotgun injury to his head with typical morphological characteristics. The weapon used was a normal-looking walking stick with a barrel, cal. .410. Under forensic and criminological aspects the significance of a walking-stick gun is comparable to that of ball-point pen-guns. Both weapons can be carried and used inconspicuously, but from a walking-stick gun also ammunition of larger calibres with a higher potential of injury can be fired.
Grellner
W
W
Institut für Rechtsmedizin, Universität des Saarlandes.
Wilske
J
J
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005389:Firearms; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011599:Psychopathology; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology