What happens to stray bullets?

Question

Do they go into space? Or just like fall back onto earth? Or what?!

Answer 1

They can't go into space since there is no possible way that their velocity is high enough to escape Earth's gravity. So yes, they fall back to Earth, and most of them maintain their ballistics trajectory. aka they have enough mojo left to kill things. Yup, people / animals / stuff die from stray bullets. But I guess most of them just fall somewhere and not harm anything significant.

Answer 2

They fall back to earth.

Interesting side note: Newton first imagined that the same force that makes things fall back to earth is the same force that holds a celestial object in orbit by picturing what would happen to an ebject fired from earth with enough velocity to miss the surface and escape the atmosphere.

Answer 3

A bullet would have to be traveling at a velocity of over 17,000 miles per hour to attain orbit, and around 25,000 m.p.h. to escape it. They fall back to the Earth - no gun I am aware of can possibly get a bullet to travel at speeds required to get it into orbit.

Answer 4

Gravity rides everything. Eventually all bullets hit something.

One of my favorite stories was of a KKK initiation that involved shooting guns in the air. One of the bullets came back down and killed one of the guys. That's Darwinism at it's best.

Answer 5

They either hit something they weren't supposed to or they just loose their velocity and fall to the Earth.

Answer 6

They go back to earth, albeit from an unknown angle.

Answer 7

they get lodged in structures, trees, sometimes flesh, or anything in their path. if those aren't around they just fall to the ground or a body of water.

Answer 8

no, they eventually fall again, and with almost the same strength, and can even hit someone! hope u choose me as best answer plz!

Answer 9

they fall like everything else that goes up