Last Tuesday, while talking about 50 cent machines, I mentioned rubber band guns. That passing mention got me thinking. I have always loved things that shoot. That is to say Nerf blasters, BB guns, and anything that fires a non lethal projectile. The most easily accessible is the rubber band gun. This accessibility has made the rubber band gun, not only, a child hood favorite but a cubicle warfare standby. Let's take a look at the different kinds of rubber band guns.
As a kid everyone I knew had a rubber band gun. To be exact the had the one in the picture above. It was as simple as it got. All you needed was a rubber band. There were of course limitations. These limitations were near impossible to over come do to the nature of the gun. That is to say as a human hand you were stuck with that set up.
That's not to say that you can't accessorize your hand gun.
This is the classic rubber band gun. Made from a few simple wooden pieces and a clothes pin. This type of rubber band gun dates back decades. It doesn't take much skill or time to make. It is still a popular model but is very primitive when compared to the more modern examples.
As time went on the simple wooden rubber band gun became more complicated. The main additions being a trigger and a spoke wheel that allowed more than one band to be loaded at once. This also lead to a "full auto" firing ability. Another fun aspect was the ever more detailed bodies. These rubber band guns come in many different flavors. Resembling many different actual and fictional firearms.
The most "hi-tech" of the mass produced rubber band guns is the Firewheel. It is made of high quality plastic, has variable firing speeds, and built in sights. It is as good as it gets. Or is it.
Leave it to Lego fans to take things to the next level. I have seen Lego rubber band guns that fire rubber bands and even Lego projectiles. I know that these rubber band guns are not easily accessible to the general populace because the skill and resources needed to make them is restrictive, but you have to admire the engineering and aesthetics of them.
Speaking of admirable engineering and aesthetics let's take a trip to Japan. The video above shows a full metal rubber band gun made by a Japanese man whose real name, sadly, I do not know. I did find some information referring to him as ZumA2. He has made a number of similar guns. They are all over designed, over built, and overly awesome. Sadly the only model available for purchase, at about $230, is not sold outside of Japan.
I won't say that the world of rubber band guns has become a popular sub genre of non lethal projectile play but I will say that inflicting mild pain on your friends and family has never been so much fun. I know that my enthusiasm for this subject may come off as a little weird at best and even troubling at worst. But let me explain. I have always been infatuated with guns. That isn't to say that I want to shoot someone or something. The two things are not mutually dependent on each other. I will most likely go through my life having never fired a gun. I have no problem with that. Guns, real guns, are something that I admire from a distance. Much like women. Having said that rubber band guns, Nerf guns, and Airsoft guns allow me to handle something gun shaped without having to worry about the whole death and dismemberment thing. If you want to partake in elastic warfare you can try the links below, or if you don't want to spend money on one remember you already have two at hand.
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