I have a scene in mind where one of my characters tries to commit suicide by shooting themselves in the center of the chest with a .22 caliber handgun. The thing is, the gun is loaded with blanks. I want my character to survive, but I'm not certain of the kind of injuries that would result from such a situation. I'm well aware that blanks at point-blank range can be very deadly, I'm sure we've all heard what happened to Jon-Erik Hexum. The difference is that Hexum used a .44 caliber, and his gun was against his temple, which is about 4 millimeters thick. My character uses a .22 caliber, and their gun is against their sternum, which is around 1.5 centimeters thick. The main thing I'm worried about is the shockwave itself, as that's what causes most of the damage—e.g., internal bleeding. I'm fine with having my character seriously injured, so long as death in this kind of situation isn't guaranteed. Is this something that's survivable? If so, what kind of wounds could I be looking at?
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