http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4322109.stm

"Total airgun ban 'not ruled out.' Scotland's gun laws could be changed to bring in a total ban on air rifles and pistols after the death of a Glasgow toddler, the first minister has said."

The story is that some crazy man shot and killed a toddler with an airgun this week (and also apparently attacked a fireman, but he wasn't hurt). And, surprise surprise, the Scottish Labour government are thinking about banning them.

"As first minister, I do know that in irresponsible hands, an airgun is a lethal weapon," says he. But so is a hammer, or a knife, or a can of petrol and a match. It is also incredibly hypocritical, given that far more people are shot to death with *real* guns which are not banned.

Madness, I say. And not at all surprising.

prior to 100 years ago, children lived with death and war's as a part of life. it did not create a bunch of psychopaths.

todays society creates them. children are taught that its ok to do things without thought of the consequences. children are told daily, how pretty they are and how wonderful they are, only to find out that they are ugly, either on the inside or outside. children today are not taught any decent morals, and grow into adulthood carrying these lacks with them. children are taught that its acceptable to be deviant in their actions and habits.

the whole world has grown up without proper guidance. i see people today who go through their whole day living for themselves. not a single thought about the others around them.

anywho's the bottom line is this. parents may be the cause of children growing up and turning out badly BUT, once you reach a certain age (it varies from person to person but is generally around 18) you are accountable for your own actions.

i had a childhood i would not wish upon anyone. but it didn't effect the way i treat children as so many horror stories do. i did not become an abuser, at least not in the physical sense. some say my verbal life could use some polish however but, i feel that just todays society judging me on their lack of decent values.

/ rant

How about shooting targets? My question is, is there any less efficient way to perpetrate a violent act? the guy would have done more damage punching people, or just poking them with a finger!

I built an air cannon* that would kill an adult easily enough but you don't see me knocking peoples heads off with it. I just like shooting the damn thing!

*It takes about two hours to construct and all parts can be had at any hardware store for around $60

I don't have instructions, or intend to create them. The idea is that the brain cells required to put it together without instructions are an insurance policy against morons walking around with something this dangerous. That said however, I can put you on the right track.

My gun(s) are made of 3" ABS PVC piping with a pressure rating of 270 psi. The pressure chamber is slightly shorter than the barrel at around 30-40" The pressure chamber is connected to the barrel with a 3/4" solenoid controlled sprinkler valve rated to 120-150 psi. The chamber is pressurized using a bike pump through a tire stem that can be purchased at any tire center (the only part not found at a hardware store). Most parts are rated at 70% of their actual designed capacity, so it is possible to pressurize a 120 psi rated part to around 160 without serious qualms.

The two primary considerations in designing a gun and selecting the parts are pressure capacity and valve action speed. The faster the valve, and the wider the opening between the chambers, the more power you get. likewise for pressure. However, Rate of energy release is paramount. If a lower rated valve is faster, it is probably better than a slower higher rated part.

Be aware that the connection to the valve stem is likely to be the weakest part of the system. I do not recommend piping larger than 3" due to the fact that end caps of larger sizes cannot hold the pressure when pierced by a valve stem and may fail catastrophically.

Pressurized to 160 psi, my cannon produces a full flight average velocity of 46 m/s for a maximum range of 216 m at a flight time of 6.6 s. The muzzle velocity is unknown, but logically must be MUCH higher. I believe it to be in the range of 100-150 m/s. Depending on the mass of the projectile (typically a vegetable of some description) the kick produced by the cannon can be significant. For this reason it is wise to remove any sharp edges in construction. I recommend pumping it up to around 25 psi for your first trial and working up from there so you can get a feel for how it behaves.

That should be WAY more than enough to get you going. In fact, it is probably more than I should have revealed.