# To dumb to breathe, let alone own a gun... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 25, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728 "2008-03-25T22:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/41 "2008-03-27T01:08:19Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] That never even occurred to me. I hope the justice system where he lives is a lot more aware than I am (I just thought he was spectacularly stupid). [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t dismiss the stupidity just yet. If he tries to use such an insane defense, he can’t be all that bright. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/42 "2008-03-27T02:11:07Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] That never even occurred to me. I hope the justice system where he lives is a lot more aware than I am (I just thought he was spectacularly stupid). [/QUOTE] I can easily see the following situation: dude is trying to set up satellite dish system, “saving money” by doing it himself, even though he’s a complete and total fuckup for a handyman. He doesn’t have a hammer, he has a brick wrapped in duct tape. He had a power drill once but his kid set it on fire trying to drill through the DVD player. His screwdriver set is a cheap Ugandan slave-labour-made set he got as a 15th anniversary present from his job at the Honey-wagon septic tank sucking company. It consists of 1 rounded “flat” blade, one Phillips blade which was long since rendered useless by prying out broken glass from his truck tires, and one Torx-bit which doesn’t fit anything manufactured in a country with a vowel in its name. The kids are screaming and fighting, and the wife is asking him when he’s going to be done, and why doesn’t he pay the $99 to have it installed. He keeps trying but can’t figure it out, and then gashes himself with the rounded flat-blade screwdriver. Maybe his life sucks in general and each day he thinks about driving his pickup off the highway and into a bridge pillar. Maybe his job involves getting kicked in the family jewels hard and without mercy every single day. Maybe alcohol, pot, and/or pills are involved, who knows. It’s cold in the house because the last time they turned on their Kero-Sun heater they all saw Jesus asking them to come and visit grandma and their dead pets. He gashes himself again, and he watches his blood, falling in slow motion, landing on the bare plywood floor (the Labradors ate the carpet…) next to a crusted piece of old cat vomit, with a stop-action splash. The kids are outside SCREAMING at the top of their lungs and fighting AGAIN. “DADDY JIMMY HIT ME!” “NO I DIDN’T, LIAR!” “YES YOU DID, DADDY! DADDY! DADDY! DADDY! DAD-DY! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-DY! WHY AREN’T YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO ME!?”, and the wife is telling him “God damn it, call the fucking company and have someone install it! You know you can’t do this! You always get into these things and I’m tired of it!” and then he just snaps. I know I remember reading an in-depth investigation into firearms “accidents” that _allegedly_ revealed a significant number of them, after the fact, turn out to be attempts at either suicide or murder. Damned if I can find the study. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/43 "2008-03-27T03:22:32Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville] It sounds like something from those “you might be a redneck if…” lists. [/QUOTE] One I made up a long time ago is ‘… if instead of a fly swatter you have a TWENTY-two.’ (Accent on the ‘twenty’, for effect.) I guess it will have to be changed to ‘if instead of a had drill you have…’ ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/44 "2008-03-27T05:08:48Z")
I wonder if he was a pilot [like this guy?](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004306464_planegun26.html) > [@](#): > > The pilot of a US Airways plane may have been mishandling a firearm when it went off in flight, piercing the cockpit wall before the jet landed safely, a federal air marshal said Tuesday. > > Airline officials said the accidental discharge did not endanger the 124 passengers and five crew members on the Airbus A319 over the weekend. But air-safety experts said the hole could have caused the plane to rapidly depressurize had it been in a window at a higher altitude. > > All people eligible to carry guns in the cockpit carry the same weapon, the .40-caliber semiautomatic H&K USP. > > “This is an extremely safe and reliable weapon,” said Greg Alter, of the Federal Air Marshal Service. “It’s not going to discharge on its own, is the bottom line.” > > The pistol discharged shortly before noon Saturday aboard Flight 1536 from Denver to Charlotte, as the plane was at about 8,000 feet and was approaching to land. Photos show a small entry hole in the lower side of the cockpit wall and a small exit hole on the exterior below the cockpit window. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/45 "2008-03-27T05:17:49Z")
Good thing he didn’t have an .88 Magnum. Those things shoot through schools. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/46 "2008-03-27T09:12:38Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] Good thing he didn’t have an .88 Magnum. Those things shoot through schools. [/QUOTE] A what? :eek: How long after shooting one of those do you regain partial movement in your shoulder? ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/47 "2008-03-27T10:19:28Z")
NOT Texas. sorry…its the first thing I thought of ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/48 "2008-03-27T10:37:05Z")
Don’t worry we breed them more stupid in New Zealand…wombat rape!! [NZ man's 'wombat rape' claim](http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bcrikeyb-man-sentenced-over-wombat-rape-claim/2008/03/27/1206207282301.html) ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/49 "2008-03-27T10:48:42Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] A what? :eek: How long after shooting one of those do you regain partial movement in your shoulder? [/QUOTE] Calm down, it’s a famous [movie quote](http://eightyeightmagnum.ytmnd.com/). I was kidding. Although, you should see these two videos for a real eye opener: [600 Nitro Express revolver](http://youtube.com/watch?v=XZL797pOAZ0)-$12,000 for the gun and $40 a shot! [700 Nitro Express rifle](http://youtube.com/watch?v=H00gshZW9Po&feature=related)-If you have to ask how much it [costs](http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=732664), you certainly can’t afford it. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/50 "2008-03-27T11:52:11Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] Although, you should see these two videos for a real eye opener: [600 Nitro Express revolver](http://youtube.com/watch?v=XZL797pOAZ0)-$12,000 for the gun and $40 a shot! [700 Nitro Express rifle](http://youtube.com/watch?v=H00gshZW9Po&feature=related)-If you have to ask how much it [costs](http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=732664), you certainly can’t afford it. [/QUOTE] I’d love to have one of those double-barreled rifles, although in a more manageable caliber. The only problem is that when I read about one, they usually mention that it was custom made for the Prince of Somewhere, and came with a matching yacht. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/51 "2008-03-27T11:58:15Z")
[QUOTE=CynicalGabe] [Man shoots wife while drilling hole in wall](http://www.kctv5.com/news/15698864/detail.html) Not RO, just a good head-shaking. This isn’t a gun-control thread either. This man is clearly too stupid to be trusted with anything more dangerous than string. [/QUOTE] Your absolutely right. Way to dumb! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/52 "2008-03-27T17:06:59Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] I don’t know any more than what it says on the news about this (and being local, it’s been on a lot), but this whole thing sounds fishy to me. [/QUOTE] What blows me away (Sorry, Patsy) is that she was killed with the second shot from the .22, the first round of course nicking Paul Prudhomme. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/53 "2008-03-27T17:38:21Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] I don’t know any more than what it says on the news about this (and being local, it’s been on a lot), but this whole thing sounds fishy to me. Although a .22 handgun _can_ punch through a wall, it’s also a very low-powered round, which takes a really good shot to kill under the best circumstances, and after being slowed and deformed passing through a wall I wonder just how much energy and shape was left to penetrate deep into a body and actually kill someone. [/QUOTE] I imagine the local police have someone who knows enough about ballistics to figure this stuff out. For all we know, the “wall” may have been nothing more than a sheet of plywood. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/54 "2008-03-27T17:48:52Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Now see, isn’t there a type of gun control that could prevent something like this? Some sort of simple intelligence test? [/QUOTE] How dare you! Doesn’t it say in the Constitution that the right to drill holes shall not be infringed? ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/55 "2008-03-27T18:43:43Z")
[QUOTE=Mosier] Who’s first thought when confronted with a home improvement project that requires a tool they don’t own is “I’ll just use my pistol!” [/QUOTE] Gary Larson drew a Far Side comic about a dude up on a roof banging in nails with the butt of a pistol. Another person on the ground mosied up and said “They tell me you’re pretty handy with a gun” ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/56 "2008-03-27T19:19:41Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] I imagine the local police have someone who knows enough about ballistics to figure this stuff out. For all we know, the “wall” may have been nothing more than a sheet of plywood. [/QUOTE] I’m guessing you’ve never shot a .22 from a handgun through a piece of plywood? If not, please correct my assumption. I say this because I’ve had a .22 handgun round actually fail to get all the way through a 3/4-inch piece of plywood - and my speculation is that even with standard 1/2-inch plywood, the bullet would be severely slowed and deformed. And nothing I said whatsoever precludes anyone from finding anything out. We’re speculating on what are likely alternate scenarios than that presented by the shooter at an early time in the story. Even if the story is 110% true, I still contend that it’s a highly _unlikely_ event, tragic though it may be. ---
**Author:** ![Leviosaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Leviosaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leviosaurus)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/57 "2008-03-27T19:44:57Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Even if the story is 110% true, I still contend that it’s a highly _unlikely_ event, tragic though it may be. [/QUOTE] If this is a 1 in 50,000 type event, does that mean there are 49,999 other idiots out there using their 22’s as drills, without managing to kill anyone? I’m going to sleep well tonight pondering that one. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/58 "2008-03-27T19:59:03Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] I’m guessing you’ve never shot a .22 from a handgun through a piece of plywood? If not, please correct my assumption. I say this because I’ve had a .22 handgun round actually fail to get all the way through a 3/4-inch piece of plywood - and my speculation is that even with standard 1/2-inch plywood, the bullet would be severely slowed and deformed. And nothing I said whatsoever precludes anyone from finding anything out. We’re speculating on what are likely alternate scenarios than that presented by the shooter at an early time in the story. Even if the story is 110% true, I still contend that it’s a highly _unlikely_ event, tragic though it may be. [/QUOTE] I’ve never shot a piece of plywood with anything. Plywood knows not to fuck with me. _flexes_ I’m not saying it isn’t unlikely- but never ascribe to malice what can be adequately explained by incredible stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/59 "2008-03-27T21:37:35Z")
[QUOTE=Leviosaurus] If this is a 1 in 50,000 type event, does that mean there are 49,999 other idiots out there using their 22’s as drills, without managing to kill anyone? I’m going to sleep well tonight pondering that one. [/QUOTE] Not under most statistics theory I know. The probability of something happening does not necessarily point to the inverse of that actually happening or say that it has happened the inverse number of times with the opposite outcome. [QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Plywood knows not to fuck with me. _flexes_ [/QUOTE] Now that’s funny. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leviosaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Leviosaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leviosaurus)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/60 "2008-03-27T21:46:01Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Not under most statistics theory I know. The probability of something happening does not necessarily point to the inverse of that actually happening or say that it has happened the inverse number of times with the opposite outcome. [/QUOTE] _Heavy Sigh._ I offer humorous commentary, decorate it with fantastical numbers, draw hilarious and unlikely conclusions juxtaposed against a backdrop of dark comedy, and all you post in response is cold logic. Such is the death of the great classic tradition of sarcasm and schadenfreude-laced discourse on the SDMB. Maybe free subscriptions will bring it back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728.md?page=4)