5 Ridiculous Gun Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)

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From Cracked.com

Even in gun-crazy America, most of us aren't shooting things as part of our day-to-day routine. So most Americans actually know very little about guns. Hollywood writers realized this a long time ago and, being writers, used it as an excuse to never do any fact-checking ever again.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18576_5-ridiculous-gun-myths-everyone-believes-thanks-to-movies.html#ixzz1MDW3e74b

The link has lots of pictures to go with the article.

Very interesting. Thanks.

I love cracked.com. They're incredibly insightful.

Yeah, people seem to think some weird things when the most "knowledge" of physics they think they have is derived from movies.

wtf?! bullets don't asplode everything?! that makes me a sad panda...

PPR?

Guns are involved in politics all the time. Some people have philosophies for them and some against, and some people are even religiously opposed to the mere weapons even though they do not acknowledge that the weapons are not the problem but it is the reason for the existence of weapons that is the problem, namely human nature.

I find it hard to believe that the opposition to guns is originated (at all) from these 5 specific myths.

Under this logic, we should be able to discuss flawed Dinosaur CGI from movies because sometimes Dinosaurs are related to evolution.

Don't you know though, Dinosaurs are impervious to bullets unless the gun is being fired by a star character who has a rocket launcher and even then it takes a few rockets? And planets often have only one city on them, only, so when you go through a wormhole you're able to see the whole world. With how small a planet is and how dangerous and invincible and carnivorous all dinosaurs are, even though most were herbivores, it would be impossible for non-dinosaurs to live on the same planet as dinosaurs. Different territories, habitats, dwellings, climates? No! A planets is the same all throughout, and some don't even have seasons simply because the writers are too lazy to think about any matters related to astrophysics or geography while they're too busy writing a story about "people".

I think i love that site. o.O

I still say that I would really hope to f*****g god my congressman, when he's trying to decide which way to vote on some gun law, is looking at some credible data not produced by some idiotic lobby and has a bonafide interest in reducing instances of innocent people becoming alarmingly dead or maimed for life.

And you still haven't convinced me to give a crap which way, that given, he actually votes.

Nice way to opinionize on a matter really tangential to said inclusion of this Gun topic on PPR. Regardless, since the said topic is more about the physics and mechanics of guns than on the politics of them, it's more fit for the science board.

And on a side note, you're argument doesn't work. If "human nature" is the inherent problem, then denying humans the means to quickly and efficiently destroy one another *COULD* be a solution. Naturally, issues concerning black markets and the effectiveness of any regulatory system come into play - as well as the effect of creating an arms monopoly in the public sector -, but that still doens't mean your overgeneralized argument works at all.

The silencer thing misses a few points, namely that you can effectively suppress just about anything subsonic if you're willing to use a bulky enough suppressor, and that the main purpose of many suppressors isn't to conceal the sound completely but to both dampen it and change it's character to something other than a gunshot. Also, tactical teams often use them when room clearing so that if they have to shoot they won't deafen themselves in the process, gunshots in an enclosed space really suck even if you're not actually hit. I've shot quite a few "silenced" weapons over the years, some of them are actually pretty quiet while others still required hearing protection to shoot, not all suppressors are the same.

Oh, yeah, since people will always find and invent new ways to kill each other anyway, removing the potential to legally acquire and own weapons from people who would seek to follow laws is going to mean more than twaddle. Hence my statement "doesn't work" on the basis of your divine fiat, sort of like democrats and labour party idiots making campaign promises.

#4. Machine Guns are Magical Death Machines

Hint: Assault weapons.

Be afraid, be afraid! They might be able to fire multiple shots before having to reload!

And then, theres the "Ultra High Powered Evil Hunting Rifles" which often have to be reloaded each shot, or bolt loaded spring fed from a shallow magazine, but beware since one in a hundred million disgruntled hamsters might just be able to obtain one and destroy the Universe!! !!