In the video below, bodybuilder Houston Jones challenges his friends to shoot his ripped physique with a potato gun. Like the recent fatal “experiment” — wherein an aspiring stunt man challenged his pregnant girlfriend to shoot him with a Desert Eagle — none of the participants here gave much thought to the forces unleashed by a ballistic device. Truth be told . . .
The number one result of a Google search “potato gun kill” unearthed a smithsonian.com article that tells us that “Recent research found that if you take a potato to the head you have way more than a “50% risk of skull fracture.” Even taking a body shot could do some serious damage and has a good chance of killing you.”
Here’s proof: One Killed, Three Injured In Potato Gun Accident. OK, that one exploded. But keep in mind that an acetylene-fueled spud gun is capable of producing a muzzle velocity of over 300 mph (from US Air Force Measures Potato Cannon Muzzle Velocities).
For comparison, the average Major League pitcher throws the ball at just over 90 miles per hour. You wouldn’t want to stand in front of that, would you? Not even with a helmet.
The only reason Mr. Jones didn’t suffer more than a bruised body: the potato gun used by his “friends” didn’t generate sufficient muzzle velocity to damage his internal organs. If he decides to go big or go home, to do this again with a more powerful device, well, we won’t be seeing a lot of new videos on his channel.
Darwin. Guns. Connect the dots.
Jeremy Edit:
Remember the baseball cannon in our Mill Creek Shooting Resort review? Well, this seemed like an appropriate place to share the video footage. You do NOT want to be in front of this bad boy:
