Editing Slingshot (section)

==Dangers==
One of the dangers inherent in slingshots is the high probability that the bands will fail. Most bands are made from [[latex]], which degrades with time and use, causing the bands to eventually fail under load.<ref name=mmrubber /><ref name=mmattach>{{cite web |url=http://www.melchiormenzel.de/making_rubber_attach.html |author=Melchior Menzel |title=Attaching the bands to the frame}}</ref> Failures at the pouch end are safest, as they result in the band rebounding away from the user.  Failures at the fork end, however, send the band back towards the shooter's face, which can cause eye and facial injuries.<ref name=recall>{{cite web |url=http://www.daisy.com/natural_recall.pdf |title=Slingshots Recalled by Daisy Manufacturing Due to Risk of Serious Eye Injury |author=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |access-date=2011-04-27 |archive-date=2006-05-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510021201/http://www.daisy.com/natural_recall.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> One method to minimize the chance of a fork end failure is to utilize a tapered band, thinner at the pouch end, and thicker and stronger at the fork end.<ref name=mmpouch>{{cite web |url=http://www.melchiormenzel.de/making_rubber_pouch.html |title=Attaching the pouch to the bands |author=Melchior Menzel}}</ref> Designs that use loose parts at the fork are the most dangerous, as they can result in those parts being propelled back towards the shooter's face, such as the ball attachment used in the recalled Daisy "Natural" line of slingshots (see image). The band could slip out of the slot in which it rested, and the hard ball in the tube resulted in cases of blindness and broken teeth.  Daisy models using plain tubular bands were not covered in the recall, because the elastic tubing does not cause severe injuries upon failure.<ref name=recall /> Another big danger is the fork breakage; some commercial slingshots made from cheap zinc alloy may break and severely injure shooters' eyes and face.<ref name=dankung>{{cite web |url=http://www.dankung.com/article/no-dangerous-zinc-dankung-counterfeits_1302 |title=Danger of zinc alloy slingshots |author=DANKUNG}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Slingshot band failure.jpg|A tubular band slingshot showing a band failure at the fork.
File:CPSC recall Daisy Natural.jpg|The ball-in-band attachment method used by the recalled Daisy "Natural" line of slingshots.
</gallery>