3 ms·

Aren't bullets still made of metal?

Shivetya 11y ago
I doubt they would have to be, even a low powered non metal gun would provide an attacker with a significant advantage and if used on an airplane it would not take much to breech the hull. As for encounters on the ground I am pretty sure drones are past the point of threat that plastic guns have. I would think resins, ceramics, and some composites, would be sufficient for creating a projectile. Still like the article states, only those who wish to obey the law would be affected
- LyndsySimon 11y ago
  > if used on an airplane it would not take much to breech the hull This is a myth. There are already holes in an aircraft's hull - shooting through one at altitude would make a hissing sound, and you could plug it with your finger if it annoyed you too bad. > I would think resins, ceramics, and some composites, would be sufficient for creating a projectile The problem isn't so much the projectile, as it is the cartridge case, primer, and the operating components. > Still like the article states, only those who wish to obey the law would be affected Like all gun laws - or laws in general :)
  - hga 11y ago
    All good points, e.g. I seem to remember reading that a 747 can maintain pressure with up to 6 windows being open (not that you'd want to be next to any of them!), but I think bullets still wants fairly dense, and that tends to make them more X-ray opaque, right? Hmmm, if we're just talking about single shot guns, you don't need to align cartridges in the characteristic rows of magazines, or the cylinder of a revolver, making them easier for the TSA to miss. Of course, you could just load a magazine once on the plane.
    - modoc 11y ago
      FWIW you can absolutely pass normal bullets through most airport metal detectors. The typical threshold meant to not flag basic jewelry/etc... will let 1-2 9mm rounds pass through. SOURCE: flying after being at the range with two 9mm rounds forgotten in my pocket.
  - Qwertious 11y ago
    >Like all gun laws - or laws in general :) I think there's a sliding scale of effectiveness for any laws banning stuff - like, if you want to stop piracy then for some people you'd need to somehow destroy all Tor-related infrastructure, but for your steretypical grandmother all you'd have to do is DMCA the one website they've used. Similarly, if it merely makes it HARD to do something, that's often worth the effort. Of course, when you're trying to prevent professional aeroplane hijackings, that's basically useless and not worth the effort.
megaman22 11y ago
I can imagine a shotgun shell using ceramic pellets (probably with non-spheroid polygonal shapes, for extra damage). The shell base could be a problem, I'm not familiar with what you could use similar to brass to withstand the gasses and form a seal at the breech. Primers are such a tiny amount of metal, I don't think they would get picked up - I have more metal in the screws from when I broke my foot.

I doubt they would have to be, even a low powered non metal gun would provide an attacker with a significant advantage and if used on an airplane it would not take much to breech the hull. As for encounters on the ground I am pretty sure drones are past the point of threat that plastic guns have. I would think resins, ceramics, and some composites, would be sufficient for creating a projectile. Still like the article states, only those who wish to obey the law would be affected

LyndsySimon 11y ago
> if used on an airplane it would not take much to breech the hull This is a myth. There are already holes in an aircraft's hull - shooting through one at altitude would make a hissing sound, and you could plug it with your finger if it annoyed you too bad. > I would think resins, ceramics, and some composites, would be sufficient for creating a projectile The problem isn't so much the projectile, as it is the cartridge case, primer, and the operating components. > Still like the article states, only those who wish to obey the law would be affected Like all gun laws - or laws in general :)
- hga 11y ago
  All good points, e.g. I seem to remember reading that a 747 can maintain pressure with up to 6 windows being open (not that you'd want to be next to any of them!), but I think bullets still wants fairly dense, and that tends to make them more X-ray opaque, right? Hmmm, if we're just talking about single shot guns, you don't need to align cartridges in the characteristic rows of magazines, or the cylinder of a revolver, making them easier for the TSA to miss. Of course, you could just load a magazine once on the plane.
  - modoc 11y ago
    FWIW you can absolutely pass normal bullets through most airport metal detectors. The typical threshold meant to not flag basic jewelry/etc... will let 1-2 9mm rounds pass through. SOURCE: flying after being at the range with two 9mm rounds forgotten in my pocket.
- Qwertious 11y ago
  >Like all gun laws - or laws in general :) I think there's a sliding scale of effectiveness for any laws banning stuff - like, if you want to stop piracy then for some people you'd need to somehow destroy all Tor-related infrastructure, but for your steretypical grandmother all you'd have to do is DMCA the one website they've used. Similarly, if it merely makes it HARD to do something, that's often worth the effort. Of course, when you're trying to prevent professional aeroplane hijackings, that's basically useless and not worth the effort.

megaman22 11y ago

I can imagine a shotgun shell using ceramic pellets (probably with non-spheroid polygonal shapes, for extra damage). The shell base could be a problem, I'm not familiar with what you could use similar to brass to withstand the gasses and form a seal at the breech. Primers are such a tiny amount of metal, I don't think they would get picked up - I have more metal in the screws from when I broke my foot.