# Yay, freedom! Now quit firing guns into the air, dumbasses! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 5, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629 "2011-03-05T23:07:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/41 "2011-03-07T17:55:41Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Um…I wasn’t being racist. I was responding to your racist comment by mocking it. “Muslim” isn’t a race. Nor is “Middle Eastern Culture.” The two are fairly hand-in-hand. But neither is a “race.” But in the future, I’ll try to be more PC by mocking Christians instead. Would that be acceptable to you? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/42 "2011-03-07T21:26:53Z")
Those Middle Eastern men. You want to shake them. ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/43 "2011-03-08T20:58:18Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I really don’t remember for certain. But I don’t believe they called it busted. Like I said, they did more research back then. You got the idea that they didn’t actually rely on their experiments, at least, for busting. That urban myth specialist was always consulted at the end, and she would confirm and elaborate on their findings. > > It was a very early show. I’ll see if I can find it. Unless it’s on YouTube or an official site, I’ll probably have to email it to you to avoid the ire of the mods. Got the email, but I haven’t watched yet. I’ve been AFK over the weekend. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/44 "2011-03-08T21:09:12Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > “Muslim” isn’t a race. Nor is “Middle Eastern Culture.” The two are fairly hand-in-hand. But neither is a “race.” > > But in the future, I’ll try to be more PC by mocking Christians instead. > > Would that be acceptable to you? Drunken Hillbillies aren’t a race either you silly-head. And yes, please preferentially mock Christians in the future. They’re the ones fucking up \*this \*country. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/45 "2011-03-09T00:47:45Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I really don’t remember for certain. But I don’t believe they called it busted. Like I said, they did more research back then. You got the idea that they didn’t actually rely on their experiments, at least, for busting. That urban myth specialist was always consulted at the end, and she would confirm and elaborate on their findings. > > It was a very early show. I’ll see if I can find it. Unless it’s on YouTube or an official site, I’ll probably have to email it to you to avoid the ire of the mods. I finished it and it wasn’t bad at all. I really wish they would’ve found the .30-06 bullet, though. I cannot find the stupid link now, but I remember reading a report stating that supersonic rounds can return to earth tail first without losing stabilization. In this case, the terminal velocity would be much higher than the 150fps they found. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/46 "2011-03-09T00:52:42Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > “Muslim” isn’t a race. Nor is “Middle Eastern Culture.” The two are fairly hand-in-hand. But neither is a “race.” And yet your attitude towards them is indistinguishable from racial prejudice. So it goes. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/47 "2011-03-09T01:52:59Z")
One thing that actually went right around here was [Shannon’s Law.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon%27s_law_%28Arizona%29) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/48 "2011-03-09T02:50:32Z")
Air-firers who haven’t actually **won** yet – like those in Libya – should also bear in mind that they are wasting precious ammunition, and are they really sure they can get more? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/49 "2011-03-09T13:15:56Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Heavier objects do fall faster in an atmosphere. Denser ones, not heavier ones, and assuming the same friction. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/50 "2011-03-09T18:43:04Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I was going to start a thread about this but I’ll go ahead and post here. What is the deal with firing all those weapons in celebration? They don’t just fire their rifles into the sky they like to shoot RPGs, heavy machine guns, and other weapons seemingly for the sake of firing them. They’re like a bunch of kids with new toys. [It’s just their culture](http://www.theonion.com/articles/iraq-kentucky-vie-for-world-shootingintotheair-sup,74/). We should be more understanding and tolerant. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/51 "2011-03-12T06:54:31Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > [It’s just their culture](http://www.theonion.com/articles/iraq-kentucky-vie-for-world-shootingintotheair-sup,74/). We should be more understanding and tolerant. 😛 :D:D:D Thanks for that. I love The Onion, but I missed that one. Classic. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/52 "2011-03-13T01:22:33Z")
> [@Phatzo](#): > > I find 300 fps as terminal velocity for a falling bullet a bit of a stretch, I think you will find it would be less than 1/2 that. I dont have time to prove it but surely anyone with a bit of a clue about physics can estimate this. I realize this is the Pit, so real ignorance-fighting is frowned upon, but since no one has addressed this, I’ll give it a **shot**. (yes, pun intended:D) I can’t model the physics of tumbling bullets, lacking a super computer, and all, but we could estimate it by comparing it to the free-fall terminal velocity of human skydivers, which is, IIRC about 120 mph, or about 170 fps, somewhat more than half the velocity you are doubting. Bullets are denser, so, even tumbling, one would expect a higher terminal velocity. Since they are made of lead, which is more than 10 times the density of a human, I believe it is reasonable to assume that a bullet will have a terminal velocity of at least 300 fps, and probably higher. How was that? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/53 "2011-03-13T09:06:51Z")
A bullet is denser, but much smaller, so it has a far higher surface-area to volume ratio - did you allow for that? Sand is much denser than human tissue, but sand grains can be blown on the wind much more easily than we can. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629/54 "2011-03-13T17:06:19Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > A bullet is denser, but much smaller, so it has a far higher surface-area to volume ratio - did you allow for that? Sand is much denser than human tissue, but sand grains can be blown on the wind much more easily than we can. Well, as I said, I have no way to calculate it, lacking a supercomputer, so I have to Edumakated WAG it, but yeah, I was going on the concept from ballistics of “Sectional Density”, which is still much higher than a human, so yes I allowed for it as much as an EWAG can. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-freedom-now-quit-firing-guns-into-the-air-dumbasses/573629.md?page=2)