A couple of weeks ago, there was a new story about how someone “almost” shot themselves in the face on daytime TV with a nail gun. Everyone in the audience gasps when she pointed it at her face, and followup news stories made it seem like a big deal.
In a recent Aflac commercial, the duck fired nails around the studio workshop.
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http://youtu.be/9qhWrgphmTQ
Yes, it is possible for nails to fly through the air, but typically this only happens if 1) a nailer is user-modified – which is never recommended – or 2) if a nail ricochets after hitting a hard nut in wood, another nail, or other object that deflects forward movement.
Nailers are not guns, they don’t fire nails through the air.
Not all TV shows and movies show nailers being used in impossible ways, but too many do. Asking why they do this is more of a rhetorical question, because we all know the answer – nails soaring through the air like bullets is more entertaining than reality, where pressure must be applied to the nose.
Allen
Yeah, well, I wouldn’t point one at my face either.
Eric
I don’t know, but its annoying. Having worked for Senco, I cringe every time I see the tools misused like this. As employees, we weren’t even supposed to refer to the tools as “guns”. The commercials are irresponsible, but the “entertainment” value outweighs the reality.
fred
I’ve seen this AFLAC ad several times and must admit that its amusing even if its unrealistic – but if you go with the premise of a duck doing human-like things – then you could also buy into nails flying through the air.
More realistic is the possibility of a nail blowing out through the side of wood being fastened – hence the good safety practice of never placing a hand (knee etc.) in a spot where a blowout might drive the nail into your flesh
John Sullivan
Let’s not forget the one exception: 23-ga pin nailers. I don’t think that any of those have a tip-based safety mechanism– instead they use a two stage trigger.
Fortunately those triggers are very difficult for talking ducks to operate, so I think we’re safe for now.
rob
Here in the Bay Area we have a couple of ads that run for a local rental center. Both are similar to this and both at least to me are horrible ads because they show everything wrong. Both the ads below finish with the tagline “we don’t just rent tools we show you how to use them.”
Mom rents a framing nail gun-to nail her children’s clothing to chairs so they can sit and eat dinner together. At least on this ad they do note at the bottom “nail guns are not toys”
Mom rents a backpack blower-to clean up her children’s toys throughout the house. Blowing the toys down the hallway into their room. Never once mentioning “don’t use gas powered tools inside a closed environment.”
Yadda
Reality, not usually. Entertaining, sometimes. My favorite is I believe is Lethal Weapon 2 (3?) . Danny Glover uses a nail gun on an attacker and then says, “Nailed him.” Classic, trite, and funny.
MT_Noob
Personally I love the Penn and Teller illusion using a nail gun and memorizing patterns. We know it is not real, and we know it is completely safe, it still makes you hold your breath when you watch it… (no link included isnce it is easy to find on youtube).
Dennis
I seemed to remember them doing this on Mythbusters so I looked it up. Sure enough http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/nailed-it.htm. Basically the synopsis is, it can be done, but at a range of 14 feet it’s not very effective as a weapon. Although I question their testing method, as they were shooting at wood. I think it would have been more interesting to see the results on ballistic gelatine.
Overall it’s done in the movies and TV because it looks cool, and is written by people who have never held a nailgun in real life.
Simple formula: Looks Cool > Reality
Much the same way firearms scenes are written and shot (no pun intended). I notice those inaccuracies all the time. For instance it looks and sounds cool to cock the hammer back on a gun. How many scenes have you seen where that happens? How many have you seen where that happens with a hammer-less firearm?
The same line of logic holds for nailguns, “Looks and sounds cool.” and “Drives the plot.” Let’s use it!
Kent
As soon as you know much about any subject, you can see flaws in how that item is used on TV or in movies. It happens every time.
Cameron
meh it doesnt really bother me. But lets not forget lethal weapon 2 or that comic book series (the name escapes me) where the serial killer uses a nail gun.
DICK DECKERT
because they can! anything to amuse.[ idiots]
Larson
Reminds me of this: http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/nailgun.asp
I see this thing pop up every few months or so from people posting it. Not saying I didn’t wish it existed, but realistically a nail could never travel with that accuracy
Matt
My Bosch framing nailer will fire a nail about 25 ft.
kevin
“framing nailers” are guns. theres nothing wrong with that, guns are not bad. if i tell you “this shot gun isnt a gun, its just a bird slower downer ” its still a gun. but i under stand why they wouldnt want to market it as a gun.
Phil
Cinematic license. It’s a “gun” after all. Now if I could only take someone down with a paint gun at 20 paces…
Chris Fyfe
Those basta@@Ds don’t even deserve the priviledge of abuse .
Chris
Toolfreak
Because they haven’t been sued over it yet.
The moment some kid is killed with a nailer that was modified to allow it to work this way, and the right kind of lawyer sues the pants off the media companies and wins a negligence case for millions of dollars in court, it will no longer be profitable to show nailers being misused.
The tool companies have already done their part by implementing the safety mechanisms and warning that the tools are not to be modified.