# will guns protect me from jellyfish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787 "2010-04-20T20:09:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/1 "2010-04-20T20:09:03Z")
(This is inspired by a thread in GD - I originally asked the question facetiously, but I’d actually like to know.) I’m scared of jellyfish. Really scared. Jellyfish are scary. If I’m in the water with a jellyfish that’s large enough to shoot, would it be useful to shoot it? Or even possible? That is: 1.) Will most modern handguns fire whilst wet? What about whilst submerged? 2.) Is a dead jellyfish still dangerous? Will a bullet even kill a jellyfish, or just pass through harmlessly? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/2 "2010-04-20T20:16:25Z")
You can fire a wet gun and probably even one that is submerged but it doesn’t work worth a damn. Bullets don’t travel very far underwater at all. Mythbusters did an episode on this. It is very difficult to even hit submerged people when you fire above the water. Dead jellyfish or even just pieces of them will sting just as badly as a live one. Every jellyfish sting I have ever gotten was from pieces of jellyfish ripped apart in a storm and dispersed in the waves. Jellyfish are a bad thing to be scared of. You can’t get rid of them the same way you could with more substantial creatures. It looks like you are going to have to stick to bathtubs and swimming pools to be safe. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/3 "2010-04-20T20:23:19Z")
I’d agree with everything Shagnasty said. If you’re worried about jellyfish, the best defense (aside from full-body wetsuits and staying away from beaches) is probably a fine-mesh net like people use to scoop debris out of a pool. That should pick up the jellyfish without breaking it apart and without letting tentacles hang through the mesh. The good news is that you’ll get fewer weird looks from people by carrying around a net than you will by carrying around a gun. Of course, some jellyfish are practically clear, so seeing them is half the problem. I’m sure that information isn’t helping you - sorry. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/4 "2010-04-20T20:27:26Z")
> [@](#): > > It looks like you are going to have to stick to bathtubs and swimming pools to be safe. Or, you know, take off and nuke them from orbit. EDIT: > [@](#): > > Of course, some jellyfish are practically clear, so seeing them is half the problem. I’m sure that information isn’t helping you - sorry. I think the clear ones are mostly harmless, though. Mostly. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/5 "2010-04-20T20:35:38Z")
Peanut butter and bread. Works every time. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/6 "2010-04-20T21:28:49Z")
Most guns will fire once under water. You may damage the gun and/or hurt yourself though. Also, the gun may not cycle correctly and you may have to do some serious fiddling to get it to fire a second time. Then you’ve got all of the issues that Shagnasty mentioned. Plus, as was already mentioned, the jellyfish will still sting you. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/7 "2010-04-20T21:32:27Z")
So, basically, what I’m getting from this thread is that jellyfish are like the liquid metal terminators of the ocean. They can’t be shot, they can’t be reasoned with, and even torn to pieces they will threaten you. They will just keep coming until you’re dead. This isn’t helping me get over my fear of jellyfish, people. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/8 "2010-04-20T21:34:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Or, you know, take off and nuke them from orbit. > > EDIT: > I think the clear ones are mostly harmless, though. Mostly. Mostly? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/9 "2010-04-20T21:59:16Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > It looks like you are going to have to stick to bathtubs and swimming pools to be safe. I’m sure a jellyfish would be perfectly capable of surviving, at least for a time, in a bathtub or swimming pool, so avoiding them is no defence. (You never know when an enemy might slip a jellyfish or two into your bathwater.) No, I’m afraid your only recourse is to avoid water entirely. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/10 "2010-04-20T22:09:38Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > No, I’m afraid your only recourse is to avoid water entirely. That won’t even work. A jellyfish that has washed up on shore can still sting you if you step on it. According to numbers I found on some web site from google (ok, admittedly not the most reliable source of info) is that 20 to 40 people die annually from jellyfish stings. Compare this to great white sharks, which have only managed to kill a total of 31 people in the last 200 years (according to wikipedia). This makes jellyfish significantly more dangerous than great white sharks. This isn’t helping, is it? ---
**Author:** ![alsoknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@alsoknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alsoknownas)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/11 "2010-04-20T22:11:03Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > So, basically, what I’m getting from this thread is that jellyfish are like the liquid metal terminators of the ocean. They can’t be shot, they can’t be reasoned with, and even torn to pieces they will threaten you. They will just keep coming until you’re dead. Actually that last sentence is a bit of an exaggeration. …_isn’t it? 😕 :eek:_ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/12 "2010-04-20T22:19:12Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > So, basically, what I’m getting from this thread is that jellyfish are like the liquid metal terminators of the ocean. They can’t be shot, they can’t be reasoned with, and even torn to pieces they will threaten you. They will just keep coming until you’re dead. > > This isn’t helping me get over my fear of jellyfish, people. Why are you so scared of these nasty little unstoppable beasts? Chances are fair to middling that you won’t die even if you do get stung. Yeah, it feels just like the punishment you would receive if you were a slave caught disrespecting your master but there has to be something worse..somewhere. There is a therapy for this though. Make some clear gelatin balls and put them in a cool bath with you and just sit there and poke them and scream what you think of them. Repeat. They also sell toy jellyfish that are pretty realistic looking but more durable. You could put those in the bath or a pool with you and get a squirt gun to play out your sick little fantasy. Bonus points for catching one from underneath with a water fart. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/13 "2010-04-20T22:22:21Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > So, basically, what I’m getting from this thread is that jellyfish are like the liquid metal terminators of the ocean. They can’t be shot, they can’t be reasoned with, and even torn to pieces they will threaten you. They will just keep coming until you’re dead. > > This isn’t helping me get over my fear of jellyfish, people. Sounds to me like you need… . . . . . . . . . . **a 1920s style death ray!** ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/14 "2010-04-20T23:03:14Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > So, basically, what I’m getting from this thread is that jellyfish are like the liquid metal terminators of the ocean. They can’t be shot, they can’t be reasoned with, and even torn to pieces they will threaten you. They will just keep coming until you’re dead. > > This isn’t helping me get over my fear of jellyfish, people. > [@alsoknownas](#): > > Actually that last sentence is a bit of an exaggeration. …_isn’t it? 😕 :eek:_ Behold the deadly [Chironex fleckeri](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chironex_fleckeri). Some amusing facts: > [@Wikipedia article](#): > > The amount of venom in one animal is enough to kill 60 adult humans…Being stung invariably results in excruciating pain, and if the sting area is significant, an untreated victim may die in as little as 3 minutes…The pale blue, virtually transparent creature is nearly impossible to see in its habitat…Removed tentacles remain capable of stinging until broken down by time and even dried and presumably dead tentacles can be reactivated if wetted…Chironex fleckeri and other jellyfish, including the Irukandji (Carukia barnesi), are abundant in the waters of northern Australia during the summer months… ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/15 "2010-04-21T00:28:34Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > So, basically, what I’m getting from this thread is that jellyfish are like the liquid metal terminators of the ocean. They can’t be shot, they can’t be reasoned with, and even torn to pieces they will threaten you. They will just keep coming until you’re dead. > > This isn’t helping me get over my fear of jellyfish, people. Fucking jellyfish. Nuke them from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/16 "2010-04-21T00:40:33Z")
[http://www.irukandjijellyfish.com/](http://www.irukandjijellyfish.com/) This will make you feel better. These ones are an inch long and can kill you. But of course you have to go to Australia to get stung. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/17 "2010-04-21T03:25:23Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > That won’t even work. A jellyfish that has washed up on shore can still sting you if you step on it. > > According to numbers I found on some web site from google (ok, admittedly not the most reliable source of info) is that 20 to 40 people die annually from jellyfish stings. Compare this to great white sharks, which have only managed to kill a total of 31 people in the last 200 years (according to wikipedia). This makes jellyfish significantly more dangerous than great white sharks. > > This isn’t helping, is it? Not even a little. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/18 "2010-04-21T03:26:46Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://www.irukandjijellyfish.com/](http://www.irukandjijellyfish.com/) This will make you feel better. These ones are an inch long and can kill you. But of course you have to go to Australia to get stung. But I _am_ going to Australia, maybe! For Worldcon! God, I hate jellies. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/19 "2010-04-21T03:27:56Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Why are you so scared of these nasty little unstoppable beasts? Chances are fair to middling that you won’t die even if you do get stung. Yeah, it feels just like the punishment you would receive if you were a slave caught disrespecting your master but there has to be something worse..somewhere. There is a therapy for this though. Make some clear gelatin balls and put them in a cool bath with you and just sit there and poke them and scream what you think of them. Repeat. They also sell toy jellyfish that are pretty realistic looking but more durable. You could put those in the bath or a pool with you and get a squirt gun to play out your sick little fantasy. Bonus points for catching one from underneath with a water fart. Nice! ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787/20 "2010-04-21T03:33:09Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://www.irukandjijellyfish.com/](http://www.irukandjijellyfish.com/) This will make you feel better. These ones are an inch long and can kill you. But of course you have to go to Australia to get stung. That is the most badass creature I’ve ever read about. If only for this line: “Irukandji is very small and fragile, it cannot be kept in a normal aquarium because if they hit the side the impact will kill it.” It’s like it traded all it’s resources for pure offense, and completely neglected putting any points into defense or con. The min-maxed creatures of the sea… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-guns-protect-me-from-jellyfish/536787.md?page=2)