A skin injury produced by a weapon in contact with or a fraction of an inch from the skin when discharged is called a...

• A. Cyanosis
• B. Contact wound
• C. Decompose
• D. Decomposition

Answer: (B)

A wound created by a firearm when the muzzle is in contact with the skin or within a very short distance is called a contact wound. The defining situation is discharge at contact or near contact, which often leaves a distinctive imprint from the weapon’s muzzle on the skin and may show burning or scorching edges due to the gases and heat of discharge. This specific context—gun being in direct contact with or extremely close to the skin at the moment of firing—is what makes the term a match for the described injury.

Cyanosis refers to bluish skin from lack of oxygen or poor circulation, not a wound type. Decomposition and decompose describe postmortem decay processes, not injuries from gun discharge.