Jan 192010
I know that lead bullets can kill a person with one shot but the death is painfully slow due to lead poisoning. I heard that metal jacket bullets were used to be more “humane” because it’s not instant kill. And that this conversion of types of bullets can be traced to the Geneva Convention… True or false?
Partially true. It’s more humane because unjacketed ammunition creates horrendous exit wounds and internal damage. This makes wounds difficult to treat and leads to a lingering death, usually from infection, bleeding to death, or organ failure.
Full metal jackets bullets were agreed to by the Hague Convention of 1899. The Geneva Protocol (convention) was added in 1925. That is why people inaccurately attribute it to the Geneva Conventions. The Hague Convention does not require the use of FMJ, instead it allows its use.
There were other reasons for the switch:
Because FMJ bullets do not expand, they are more effective at piercing armor.
They are more durable and withstand rough handling on the battlefield.
Their rounded tips permit proper transit up the feed ramp, whereas the usage of hollow point bullets can cause failures to feed.
FMJ’s were invented by a Swiss man in 1899. The were adopted because they had a number of critical, practical advantages. They have superior penetration, and they are less likely to be deformed by rough handling.
It was deemed acceptable for use by the Hague Convention (not the Geneva one) of 19899, which prevented the use of hollowpoint bullets in war by the countries which signed the Convention. Also, very few people shot with lead balls died due to lead poisoning. Lead has to be ingested for it to be a real danger. Soft lead bullets, however, expanded upon impact with the body, and caused large, irregulat tearing wounds as the passed through the body. FMJ’s (Full Metal Jackets), on the other hand, do no expand as much, and therefore cause somewhat neater wounds.