Um... falling handgun bullets CAN be lethal. Even my kid would tell you that after watching Mythbusters. They determined, after much experimentation, that straight vertical shots are probably not lethal. It is less likely as terminal velocity is much less than that of the speed of a bullet fired normally, and if you fire it EXACTLY vertical, you'll probably be ok as bullets
tumble (NOT fall "base first" - that would make them more dangerous since the tumbling is what slows them down), but it is still dangerous. They determined a 9mm's terminal velocity is 166 ft/second, and that does not cause enough penetration to kill. If it is not exactly vertical, however, it can be faster, and lethal. They actually decided the myth was all results at once... Busted, Plausible, and Confirmed. I won't be taking any chances.
Also...
"These projectiles were doubtless fired into the air, probably during a holiday like the Fourth of July. All of the subjects shown were buried to a depth at least equal to their length and some deeper. It is a popular perception that falling bullets are harmless. The truth is simply a matter of physics. The speed of a projectile traveling up into the air will decrease due to gravity until its vertical motion is halted. Gravity continues to work on the projectile starting from its high altitude stopping point accelerating it downward. Since the distance it traveled up will be equal to the distance it will be accelerated down, while falling, the projectile will be accelerated to its terminal velocity which has been found to be approximately 300 feet per second.
According to information published in the Los Angeles Times, as many as 118 people were injured by falling bullets between 1985 and 1992 and 38 of the victims died. In information provided by B. N. Matto (Journal of Forensic Sciences, 1984), a .38-caliber revolver bullet will perforate the skin and lodge in the underlying tissue at 191 feet per second and a triple-ought buckshot will do so at 213 feet per second. A .30-caliber bullet will perforate the skin at only 124 feet per second. It is easy to believe that such a bullet falling at 300 feet per second could seriously injure a person, possibly fatally, especially if it struck you in the head."
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Now of course, we can't trust a newspaper in LA to be accurate, so the reported deaths are probably off. However...
"On further investigation, it appears the 60 foot-pound injury threshold cited by Hatcher may be misleading — a falling bullet's kinetic energy (foot pounds) alone isn't a good predictor of the speed it needs to inflict a wound. B. N. Mattoo (Journal of Forensic Sciences, 1984) has proposed an equation relating mass and bullet diameter that seems to do a better job. Experiments on cadavers and such have shown, for example, that a .38 caliber revolver bullet will perforate the skin and lodge in the underlying tissue at 191 feet per second and that triple-ought buckshot will do so at 213 feet per second."
The Straight Dope: Can a bullet fired into the air kill someone when it comes down?
Don't shoot in the air. There are many more examples where people have been injured or killed when someone does that. I only cited the ones that had the best explanations that were short... not trying to write a book here. If you want more, go google.
Frankly, I'm still not sure what your post was about, and normally wouldn't respond. But on the off chance someone actually believes you...