rock salt: Lethal or not

Shooting someone is a really terrible idea if lethal force is not justified. I know a guy who killed a large dog with a pellet gun although he was just trying to scare it away--he couldn't believe it when the dog piled up down the street. I watched a video a couple of weeks ago where cops accidentally killed a drunk/high guy with a knife by shooting him with a "beanbag" gun.

Shooting someone with something that you don't intend to be "deadly force" is a really terrible idea if it there is good potential for it to kill or seriously injure them (e.g. blind them). If you do something that satisfies the criteria for "using deadly force" but also make it clear that you didn't intend to use deadly force, then that can put you in sort of a legal pickle. Your reasonable belief that you needed to immediately use deadly force is generally a necessary part of proving that deadly force was justified. But if you make it clear you didn't mean to use deadly force, how could you have believed that you immediately needed to use it?

If you want to have the option of using less-lethal force, my recommendation is to purchase high-quality commercial products that are specifically designed to be less-lethal by companies with good reputations in the field. And then carefully follow the manufacturer recommendations for using their product.
 
The idea was to keep coyotes or mountain lions away from home but not to kill or injure them. Thank you, however, for replying.
 
Sounds like an opportunity for testing.

Remington used to make anti-riot shells loaded with #4 diameter plastic shot. At 10 yards, it would sting. At 10 feet it would kill. Lesson, don’t charge the riot squad.
 
docwharden1881 said:
The idea was to keep coyotes or mountain lions away from home but not to kill or injure them. Thank you, however, for replying.
Click to expand...

I had a bobcat eating my chickens and I didn't want to kill it either (it normally eats stuff I don't want around).

She nabbed one out of the air one day and I grabbed a 12ga with #8 and waited until she got far enough away before I peppered her. The chicken ran back past me as fast as she took off for the woods. She hasn't been back but now there is buckshot in it, only get one chance around here.
 
I've heard of one case of a person killed by a rock salt round after humid air compacted the salt into one lump that was fatal.

In any case these days it makes no difference if you fire a load of rock salt, goose feathers, or 00 buckshot, the law counts that as firing a lethal weapon.
 
The target would have to be awful close. Rock Salt is not heavy enough and "ballistic" enough to have be carried too far.There is a legend of an outlaw in Oklahoma (I think) who supposedly used silver dimes in his shotgun.Tests prove they were not heavy or aerodynamic enough to be efficient.But it made for a good story.
 
huntersdog said:
Anything that goes bang and used against a human, most DA's will have a field day with you in court. Justified shooting or not, you will be arrested. Just standard procedure.
Click to expand...
It may not have been intended to be fatal but it could possibly put you in the "hot seat". We had a constable killed here in South Texas 40 years ago. He was hit with rat shot and 1 little pellet went straight into his heart.
 
I saw a rock salt test done on a u tube channel. The conclusion was that the rock salt wouldn't penetrate enough to stick.
 
Eutycus said:
The target would have to be awful close. Rock Salt is not heavy enough and "ballistic" enough to have be carried too far.There is a legend of an outlaw in Oklahoma (I think) who supposedly used silver dimes in his shotgun.Tests prove they were not heavy or aerodynamic enough to be efficient.But it made for a good story.
Click to expand...
bob olinger supposedly kept his shotgun loaded with 18 dimes. think mythbusters may have touched on both dimes and rock salt in a gun episode.
 
Eutycus said:
It may not have been intended to be fatal but it could possibly put you in the "hot seat". We had a constable killed here in South Texas 40 years ago. He was hit with rat shot and 1 little pellet went straight into his heart.
Click to expand...

Then again, the VPOTUS shot a lawyer in Texas back in '06 with bird shot and he lived, a little heavier with the shot still in him though...

Dick Cheney hunting accident - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
jmorris said:
Then again, the VPOTUS shot a lawyer in Texas back in '06 with bird shot and he lived, a little heavier with the shot still in him though...

Dick Cheney hunting accident - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
Click to expand...
First, VP Cheney didn't shoot the guy. The official story is that the guy shot just happened to be a jerk and purposefully walked into the shot-pattern. Second, that's why he apologized to VP Cheney. :neener: :rofl: ;)
 
Rock-salt in Florida can be considered lethal force. If I shot someone with rock-salt and didn't have a justified use of force, it'd be aggravated battery as the lowest possible criminal charge, which is a felony.

784.045 Aggravated battery.—
(1)(a) A person commits aggravated battery who, in committing battery:
1. Intentionally or knowingly causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement; or
2. Uses a deadly weapon.
(b) A person commits aggravated battery if the person who was the victim of the battery was pregnant at the time of the offense and the offender knew or should have known that the victim was pregnant.
(2) A person who violates subsection (1) commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(3) For the purposes of sentencing under chapter 921, a violation of this section committed by a person acting in furtherance of a riot or an aggravated riot prohibited under s. 870.01 is ranked one level above the ranking under s. 921.0022 for the offense committed.
History.—s. 1, ch. 70-63; s. 732, ch. 71-136; s. 20, ch. 74-383; s. 10, ch. 75-298; s. 3, ch. 88-344; s. 7, ch. 2021-6.
 
let me try to rephrase b/c there were two different topics in one question. i perhaps did not do a good job explaining.
1. do you consider rock salt from a shotgun lethal?
2. The rock salt shells would only be employed against threats like coyotes or mountain lions, etc and not two legged pests.
 
I consider anything fired from a gun to be potentially lethal. If it does not kill immediately it may introduce infection, destroy eyesight, or otherwise maim a critter. If the sound of the gun doesn't put the critter to flight, something else may be needed that is more humane than rock salt. As for question 2, a shotgun may be needed for other purposes, and I don't want rounds loaded with salt confused with other loadings.

Generally rock salt makes a better tall tale than useful tool.
 
Kinda impractical across the board....
www.theboxotruth.com

The Box O' Truth #33 - Rock Salt in a Shotgun

Lots of folks ask me, "Have you ever tried rock salt in a shotgun shell? Would this be a good load for personal defense?" We have seen it done in the movies. I remember an episode of "The Rifleman", where Lucas McCain shot some bad guys with a load of rock salt. I never understood why, but...
www.theboxotruth.com www.theboxotruth.com
www.ammoman.com

Less Lethal Loadout: Rock Salt Shotgun Shells

Rock salt shotgun shells have been part of gun lore for decades? But what do they do to targets? We shoot & test them with ballistic gel.
www.ammoman.com www.ammoman.com
www.quora.com

What happens if someone get shot with a rock salt shotgun shell in close range?

Answer (1 of 11): Depends on the range you’re talking about. I imagine if you were close enough you could die. There was an actor named John Eric Hexum in the 80’s who starred in a tv show about an undercover agent for the CIA who worked as a model he was supposed to be an ex green beret or SEAL ...
www.quora.com www.quora.com
 
docwharden1881 said:
let me try to rephrase b/c there were two different topics in one question. i perhaps did not do a good job explaining.
1. do you consider rock salt from a shotgun lethal?
2. The rock salt shells would only be employed against threats like coyotes or mountain lions, etc and not two legged pests.
Click to expand...
You took care of the rephrasing in post #3……
Sometimes reading is a misdemeanor for some…😂🤪
 
I used popcorn in a .410 once way back when I was a teenager. Killed a rat with it.
 
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