Powder burn

A powder burn is a type of burn caused by exposure to the combustion gases which are expelled from the muzzle of a firearm as it is fired.^[1] Powder burns only occur when the individual is in close proximity to the discharging firearm, as the gases quickly dissipate.^[2] This can be an indicator on a corpse of whether the person was shot at point-blank range or not.^{[citation needed]}