Biden says a shotgun will scare off intruders
POSTED BY: GEEZER
UPDATED: Thursday, May 7, 2026 16:24
VIEWED: 9199
PAGE 8 of 13
Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
Well, assuming one is a extreme pedant who takes everything literally - even then, I don't see a huge problem. If it's fired into the air to intimidate intruders, worse case scenario is some pellets raining down harmlessly.
So, yeah, I find that a whole lot better than an assualt rifle that could punch through the walls of a house a few blocks away.
Ummmmmmm....
I might be mistaken about this, because I wasn't the best High School student when I had Physics class, but brushing up on physics for a hopeful job opportunity, I'm pretty sure you're wrong here about "pellets raining down harmlessly".
I'm a little fuzzy about the math, but I'm pretty certain any effect the friction of the atmosphere has on something as heavy as those little "pellets" is of very little consequence because A) They're HEAVY for their size and B) They're perfect spheres and ideal for traveling through the air without much loss of speed from friction. As I understand it, the 9.82m/s that the buckshot would lose in velocity on its upward trip would be mirrored and added on the downward trip. So... whatever speed the buckshot left the barrel on its upward trip would be the same speed it fell at when at the same height on the downward trip.... Since it would be fired on a balcony, it would actually be just a bit faster than when it was fired if it hit somebody not on a balcony of the same height.
Granted, it would likely be spread out quite a bit, but I wouldn't want to be some innocent bystander walking 2 blocks away that got hit in the head with one of these pellets.
At the same time, I certainly wouldn't want to be the super unfortunate individual who was walking in that same spot when a round fired in the air from an M4 rained down on my head.... so I'm not being obtuse here. I get the underlying message he was trying to relay.
I'd just submit that this was yet another Gaffe on the VP's part, even though I know he has good intentions.
What he SHOULD have said, was to fire the shotgun out the balcony right into the ground. There's ZERO benefit to firing up in the air like the "dirty Mexicans" did in the Three Amigos movie out in the middle of the desert while swilling gallons of Tequila. If all we are saying here is that the "sound" of the blast would be enough to scare people off, which I'm VERY inclined to believe is the truth in 99.99% of scenarios, there's no reason to lose sleep for weeks wondering if you accidentally killed some poor bastard or shot a baby in the face with buckshot 2 blocks away because you recklessly fired a gun in the air in the middle of a suburban area.
Honestly, this foolish thing he said makes me wonder if he really learned gun safety from his dad, or if his dad was an idiot. One of the above must be true.
If anything, this entire interview with Biden makes me think that maybe the Dems are on to something with this gun control thing. After reading this article, I know I certainly wouldn't want to live within a few blocks radius of Mr or Mrs Biden. Or even his "hunter" dad, for that matter......
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
The Second Amendment says nothing about that. How can they be illegal?
>
There's case law on the subject.
Is there no case law on banning certain types of other armaments from private ownership by the average citizen? Rocket launchers, anti-aircraft missiles, newly-manufactured full-auto machineguns, hand grenades, etc.?
Your point is that if there's case law, then you absolutely CAN ban certain types of arms from the average citizen. On that, we agree. Of course, you have to have a law in order to have case law...
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero
"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012
Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"
Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."
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Quote:
I'm a little fuzzy about the math, but I'm pretty certain any effect the friction of the atmosphere has on something as heavy as those little "pellets" is of very little consequence because A) They're HEAVY for their size and B) They're perfect spheres and ideal for traveling through the air without much loss of speed from friction. As I understand it, the 9.82m/s that the buckshot would lose in velocity on its upward trip would be mirrored and added on the downward trip. So... whatever speed the buckshot left the barrel on its upward trip would be the same speed it fell at when at the same height on the downward trip.... Since it would be fired on a balcony, it would actually be just a bit faster than when it was fired if it hit somebody not on a balcony of the same height.
Simply put... No.
Once the pellets reach their apogee (the highest point in their upward travel), they start at zero velocity on their downward trip. On the way up, they had a powerful accelerant used to launch them upward. On the way down, they have no such accelerant, only gravity accelerating them toward the ground and the aerodynamic drag acting against that pull. Hence, terminal velocity. A sphere isn't the most aerodynamic shape, either.
Even if you fired the shotgun from the height the pellets would reach, firing downward toward the ground, the pellets wouldn't carry the same muzzle velocity when they hit the ground as when they left the barrel. The second they leave the barrel, they're slowing down because of aerodynamic resistance.
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero
"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012
Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"
Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."
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Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:Quote:
Originally posted by kpo:
This article seems to equate firing 'in the air' with using 'deadly force'. Seems like a strange conflation to me.
"Jill, if there's ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here, walk out and put that double-barrel shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house."
In the air? Biden doesn't say that.
He also didn't say "You don't need a .223 caliber AR-15", did he? But you still ASSumed that's what he meant, right?
If you aren't smart enough to figure out that when someone says to fire off a couple blasts with a shotgun, they mean "in the air", then I really don't want you anywhere around me with your guns, because you're also stupid enough to go around aiming your penis substitute at everyone else's face.
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero
"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012
Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"
Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
What he SHOULD have said, was to fire the shotgun out the balcony right into the ground. There's ZERO benefit to firing up in the air like the "dirty Mexicans" did in the Three Amigos movie out in the middle of the desert while swilling gallons of Tequila. If all we are saying here is that the "sound" of the blast would be enough to scare people off, which I'm VERY inclined to believe is the truth in 99.99% of scenarios, there's no reason to lose sleep for weeks wondering if you accidentally killed some poor bastard or shot a baby in the face with buckshot 2 blocks away because you recklessly fired a gun in the air in the middle of a suburban area.
At which point, a pump shotgun becomes even more useful, and not just for its increased ammo capacity; if the sound is enough to scare someone away, the distinctive sound made by racking a round into the chamber should be more than sufficient to make a would-be intruder seek more hospitable climes (and a change of underwear).
Quote:
Honestly, this foolish thing he said makes me wonder if he really learned gun safety from his dad, or if his dad was an idiot. One of the above must be true.
Or both. He could have learned "gun safety" from someone who doesn't have a good grasp of it.
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero
"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012
Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"
Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Simply put... No.
Once the pellets reach their apogee (the highest point in their upward travel), they start at zero velocity on their downward trip. On the way up, they had a powerful accelerant used to launch them upward. On the way down, they have no such accelerant, only gravity accelerating them toward the ground and the aerodynamic drag acting against that pull. Hence, terminal velocity. A sphere isn't the most aerodynamic shape, either.
Even if you fired the shotgun from the height the pellets would reach, firing downward toward the ground, the pellets wouldn't carry the same muzzle velocity when they hit the ground as when they left the barrel. The second they leave the barrel, they're slowing down because of aerodynamic resistance.
Again, I'm not a physics professor, so I can't say for sure if what you say is right or wrong. Obviously, friction in our atmosphere alters the basic math of physics in a vacuum and what would or would not fall as fast as it was propelled.
If you have some solid facts about the downward fall not being equal to the upward ascent, I'd like to read them though.
Sure, the velocity from the barrel was Xupwards!
As it traveled upward, it lost 9.82m/s until it came to a stop at the "Apogee".
Then it traveled down. Originally at an initial speed of 0, but it picked up a speed of 9.82m/s (minus the same friction it faced on its way up) on its downward path.
Given the outside influence of friction on the upward path, I would assume the same friction influence on the downward slope, so whatever impedance to that 9.82m/s on the upward motion would be mirrored on the downward trail.
Bottom line, unless you can actually prove me wrong here, if you're at the same level I am when that buckshot rains on your head, give or take a few feet, I'm quite certain that they will impale your skull at roughly the same velocity at which I shot the gun off at. The only saving grace is that as it spread you would only be hit by one or two "pebbles" instead of being shot at the top of your head with a full casing.
As much as I'm fully vested in finding out the TRUE facts about this, I still stand firm that the suggestion by a VP to fire a shotgun in the air blindly to ward off intruders is sophomoric.
Seriously.... Obama, and even the entire country, would be better served if his running mate was Michelle's vibrator.
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I should probably state this again just so you don't think I'm a mindless gun-nut Kwick.
I've NEVER fired a REAL gun in my life. NOT. ONE. TIME.
When I bought it, used, it came with 20 rounds. Do bullets have a shelf life? (I'm sure they do, and they're likely way expired).
I wasn't even comfortable holding it until my Army bro taught me how to take it apart and clean it.
Being a "recluse" sure ups the non-robbery thing too. I spend anywhere from 2-5 nights a week at work away from my house. My tech and leisure items are so outdated that it's not worth it, for sure, but I have some badass tools I'd really miss. In fact, even my outdated stuff would be missed simply because I can't currently afford to replace it. The block behind me has had 3 burglaries in the last year.
Not only does my block have a badass neighborhood watch, but in the 18 months I've been here, only 2 people really know anything about me. When we talk, we're cool, but I know that even though everyone on the block is so happy that I bought this house and rehabbed it instead of letting it fall to the ground that they are worried about me because I make ZERO noise and I'm not married.
I'm cool with that....
When I am paying attention, and/or doing dishes in the kitchen, I notice that all the people, even the kids, walk on the street now and not on my property. When I first moved in, I would be washing dishes and be spooked by somebody walking 2 feet away from my front window to cut across my lawn to get home.
I don't have sidewalks, so I would be cool with people walking outside of the perimeter of my Maple trees, but nobody even tries that. Sometimes I sit on my front porch watching the kids come home from school, always walking on the street around my corner. Sometimes I just look out my window, and they do the same thing. Black/White, Male/Female, they all follow the same pattern.....
Really, I'm a friendly person. I'd probably be cool with anyone on my block if the situation was raised.
I'm just the guy on the end of the block. My house hasn't been broken into in 2 years come August.
I don't own a shotgun. I only own a compact Colt .45
I've NEVER fired it, and if I did to scare away intruders, I would shoot it into the ground outside of my 2nd story window.
Firing ANY gun in the air in a suburban area is idiotic, and only an idiot who NEVER held a real gun would tell millions of idiots to do that.
GAFFFFFFFFFFFFFEEEEEE!
Biden is a f'king idiot....
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I should probably state this again just so you don't think I'm a mindless gun-nut Kwick.
No worries. Of all the things I may think about you, gun-nut isn't one of them.
Quote:
I've NEVER fired a REAL gun in my life. NOT. ONE. TIME.
You probably should. If you're going to own a gun and not be a liability to yourself with it, it pays to know how to shoot it. If nothing else, just to know how it sounds and feels. First time my wife shot one of my handguns, she jumped and flinched so bad she dropped it. The recoil caught her off guard, despite watching me shoot it just moments earlier.
Dropping a gun after the first shot is less than ideal, for many reasons.
Quote:
When I bought it, used, it came with 20 rounds. Do bullets have a shelf life? (I'm sure they do, and they're likely way expired).
Probably not. If they've been kept fairly dry so they don't corrode, they're likely fine. They're sealed, after all, so the powder is dry as long as the shell casing is intact. I buy military surplus rounds from old Soviet weapons, packed away decades ago and put in doomsday bunkers. Lots of this stuff has manufacture dates in the 60s, and I've never had a round fail to fire for me.
Quote:
I wasn't even comfortable holding it until my Army bro taught me how to take it apart and clean it.
As noted, if you're going to have it and keep it, better to be comfortable with it, if not proficient. If there's an outside chance you'll ever need it, you need to be able to operate it in the dark without really thinking about it, since that's likely when you'll most need it. I'm not saying you'll be FIRING in the dark (ask Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius about the wisdom of doing that without knowing who or what you're shooting at. Allegedly.), but you'll likely be grabbing it out of your nightstand and putting a round in the chamber in the dark before venturing out to see what that strange noise was in the living room...
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero
"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012
Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"
Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Firing ANY gun in the air in a suburban area is idiotic, and only an idiot who NEVER held a real gun would tell millions of idiots to do that.
Point taken, but I'm not sure anyone who would say that has never fired a gun. It's a popular form of celebration in some cultures, it seems. I don't get it, but that's just me...
But yes, firing any gun in the air is likely against the law in most urban areas. Of course, firing a gun into a person is likely against most laws. In either case, you can be charged with discharging a firearm inside city limits, and if you shoot someone, you can likely be charged with more than that.
Even if you're firing blanks, you're still discharging a firearm, so it's still illegal.
And for the ultra-pedantic Geezer here... did Biden ever say to fire non-blanks? Since you're so hung up on what he said, did he say to fire shotgun rounds loaded with shot?
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero
"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012
Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"
Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."
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All I read man was that he said to his wife to fire a shotgun in the air......
If we were living like nomads in the desert with no neighbors, that isn't bad advice.
Having less than zero experience with REAL guns, I know enough not to do something stupid like that.
Seriously Kwick....
It seems like we might even be coming close to agreement on an issue here...
Don't let a false defense of a stupid VP stand in our way!
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