Ugh, more bad press "potato gun" kills 21 year old

Redcoat · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:09 pm

he put "explosive powder in it" is that to ignite the actual propellant or the actual propellant?

Well, if it was either he is an idiot.
Exactly the reason why i guess that Solid Fuel propellants are banned on these forums.
Feel Sorry for his family though.

PinHead · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:13 pm

DYI wrote:Can someone give me the email address of that news channel so that I can respond to this attack directly?

From the news station website: ksfy@ksfy.com

Like I said before, I'm very local to this thing. I'm very tempted to do the same thing myself. Good news is that from what I hear around here, most people seem to agree that what he did was ridiculous, and they aren't jumping to stupid conclusions like this news station.

We have alot of rural farmer types who have built spudguns for fun, so people around here aren't completely naive to the idea.

potatoflinger · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:13 pm

Maybe we should all write a letter to each of the people that are involved in this story to explain that everything that they said was completely wrong.

Fnord · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:20 pm

bad idea. they will smash the site on the news and then we get a flood of hate spammers.

Well, they don't have to know who sent it

Anyway, if possible I would like to know more details on the injury that killed him. Getting hit in the gut isn't normally the easiest way to get killed (Houdini excluded:).

Pilgrimman · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:24 pm

@ potatoflinger

I agree. I will not see this hobby be banned, all due to one moron killing himself because he blatantly crossed the basic safety lines of spudding. I am willing to write a letter to the network, and the police agency in regard to this, and I hope others will do the same.

PinHead · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:26 pm

I'd like to dig up more details myself, but rumors around here get pretty terrible, so it's hard to find out what really happened. If I here anything more concrete, I can let everyone know.

All I'd assume at this point is that he got hit by a piece of shrapnel that caused some kind of massive trauma and internal bleeding. With blackpowder, you know that those pieces had to be flying.

Redcoat · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:29 pm

yeh, even though i live in Australia i find it bloody annoying that this so-called "Radio Station" is trying to ban the greatest hobby of all time!
I will also e-mail them.
In fact, if everyone here emailed them to put pressure on them they may give in and withdraw the statement.

Maybe start a thread or post in this one the replies you get from them.

Happy Spuddin'

scatdawg · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:56 pm

relax fellow spudders. first the news story already has given us a clue that he did something very unsafe. so anyone with intellect at all will realize that this was negligence on the individual and not the device. if the parents pursue any legal issues it will take a great deal of time and financial backing with them having to hide the fact that their son went against one of the number one rules of the spudding community. if a law was to ever be passed it will not deter people from continueing to construct potato guns. and it will not prevent future uneducated persons from constructed dangerous and even deadly devices. we have to understand that we (hobbyists that research and educate for safetys sake) will probably never be in the majority of spudgun builders. so bashing the radio station and their experts only brings more bad public perceptions of our hobby. we need to carry on as if we never heard of this young man but only pass on the info we have learned(and already knew) about this tragedy to our new members searching for info so that they may build and enjoy a safe potato gun. if any member of the media would spend only a few minutes reading this forum they would see just how dedicated the regulars are to safety and promote it vigorously to new members. just my take on this.

noob of noobs · Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:57 pm

Killjoy wrote:
Spud guns are only as dangerous as the person useing them! I wonder how far the family is going to try and push the banning all together? Watch and see if this guys folks wind up testifing to congress for a all together ban. We Americans see this kinda thing happen alot, someone gets themselfs killed and the rest of the family becomes a sqeekie wheel that congress will greese to make it look like they are doing the rite thing. In this case, the end of legal spudding!
Reminds me of this guy in our town who stole a truck, led police on a high speed chase, crashed the truck and tried to stab a police officer with a screw driver so the police shot and killed him,and the family sued for wrongful death, and the city settled out of court despite the fact this guy deserved to get shot and wasted money and time investiagating the officers for the shootings.

I still remember the up roar about the kid who had never played paintball lifting his mask up to see and getting shot in the eye, so he and his parents went out to try and ban paintball or at least tell people how dangerous it was and how it could never be safe (for the stupid people at least).

I f-cking hate it when people do that!!!

For example, this stupid kid around here gets a yo-yo ball caught around his neck, and nearly chokes to death. Then his mom goes out on this righteous campaign to get 'em banned, and it works! What the f-ck is up with that?!??
But a kid (actually, a full grown adult) actually dies from a basic cannon in uber-conservative town? Man...this is bad news... I hope The U.S. doesn't become as strict as Australia with guns...
A Darwin Award would be appropriate here, except you got to remember, although information about safety is highly available on forums such as this fine one, some people don't know that. When I built my first cannon out of Backyard Ballistics, I didn't use pressure rated parts, and DWV. Sure, I didn't use saltpeter or anything, but it would have been extremely easy to make a fatal mistake with such little information and help. Glad I hooked up with you guys!
Anyway, I do feel sorry for the kid and his parents, but he did kind of deserve it for not researching. And the parent's quote about how people should trash their cannons is sickening. I know that we just had a topic about freedom of speech, but what they're saying is not an opinion, it's a lie.

Redcoat · Mon Sep 03, 2007 8:00 pm

noob of noobs wrote: I hope The U.S. doesn't become as strict as Australia with guns...

I think if it did, America would go into Economic and Global Instability

.

But seriously though the gun laws here are as tight as a cat's Arse.

There is more trouble buying and importing an Airsoft gun than there is of getting a bolt action Barret.

-A tad off-topic.

DYI · Mon Sep 03, 2007 8:04 pm

I sent a rather long email, and I will start a thread if I ever get a reply. I encourage others to do likewise. With enough pressure there is a chance (albeit a slim one) of actually getting a solution.

As far as how it killed him, he didn't die immediately, so I would assume that he was hit by one, or several pieces of supersonic shrapnel, causing massive trauma and internal bleeding, and killing him slowly.

If I could get the email address of the police department there, I will email them about their so called "expert".

Redcoat · Mon Sep 03, 2007 8:27 pm

I have sent an email.Waiting for a reply.
I don't live in America so i won't get to involved just an email to add to the amounts that should pour in from this site.

noob of noobs · Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:20 pm

So are we all agreeing that sending e-mail is okay? I don't want to provoke them into attacking the forum.

paaiyan · Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:22 pm

I definitely say you shouldn't even mention the forum in your e-mail without PCGUY's approval first. Don't even hint at it. He likes free advertising, but this is not the kind of publicity he'll want, I can just about guarantee that.

Redcoat · Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:24 pm

yeh just don't mention the fact your from Spudfiles but give them an absolute bollocking!!!!