Man In Florida Accused Of Trying To Use Potato As Silencer

Local 6 (Florida) ^ | June 3, 2006

[Stoat]

Man In Florida Accused Of Trying To Use Potato As Silencer

 

POSTED: 11:43 pm EDT June 3, 2006

UPDATED: 11:54 pm EDT June 3, 2006

 

MIAMI -- A man is accused of putting a potato on the barrel of a gun, believing the spud would act as a silencer and muffle the shooting of a woman, according to Miami-Dade police.

Police said Shane Thompson carved a hole in a potato with a spoon, stuck his gun inside and threatened to shoot the mother of his child. Thompson reportedly told her that no one would hear the shot, because of the potato's silencing qualities. Police said he never fired the potato-tipped gun, but instead hit the woman several times. Thompson has been charged with false imprisonment, aggravated assault and battery.

While spuds are nutritious, the silencer potato is an urban legend dating to the 1920s. Thompson apparently isn't alone in believing the myth. A Miami-Dade financial advisor was convicted in the early 1990s for shooting one of his clients to death with a gun topped with a potato.

Crime scene technicians found the potato under her body.

[norwaypinesavage]

"I think a watermelon or a giant taco would make a good silencer."

Especially since the bullet would be unlikely to exit the other end.

[Socratic]

What an interesting link. In high school, my friends and I, made tennis ball cannons from Coke cans, duct tape and lighter fluid. Great fun.

[going hot]

On a subsonic pistol or rifle, a silencer will work because it slows down the speed of the gas escaping the muzzle, which makes the report.

When the projectile is supersonic, silencer merely slows the gas, the bullet still makes a very loud crack due to its sonic boom.

[GadareneDemoniac]

If he had shot her, would the state "fry" him?

[ARealMothersSonForever]

The Brits are big on suppressing wheelguns....

[Socratic]

If he had shot her, would the state "fry" him?

In Medieval times, he'd be boiled in oil.

[OnAMission]

bump for more chuckles later...I hope this thread gets a thousand replies, heh heh.

[umgud]

So, if I'm at the gun range and I set a spud at the 50 yard line and shoot it, I'm OK? But, if I shoot it at the end of my barrel, I go to jail for using a silencer?

[Mustng959]

Yep, I've heard of it also. Had a section on it in the "Anarchist Cookbook" about 25 years ago.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Homer Simpson tests out the new "SpudZooka":

"Would you like fries with that... scum -- ?!?"

[Rte66]

I had no idea it wasn't true. And if I ever found myself in the situation of needing a silencer, I promise I would've tried to find the fattest potato in the house for it.

Seems like those round white potatoes would do better than Idaho bakers, because the latter are kind of mealy. Unfortunately, in my house, all I would have on hand would be small red creamer potatoes or Yukon Gold fingerlings and some of those Texas A&M purple fingerlings.

They wouldn't silence anything ... well, maybe one of those little tiny miniature revolver cap guns on a keychain. Guess I have to go buy a silencer. Do the Sopranos have a store?

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

A sympathetic judge, however, later recessed the case indefinitely on the grounds of future a peel.

[Rte66]

Those were two different stories. The subject of the main story evidently never pulled the trigger on the potato-silenced gun, but instead beat a woman with something else.

The 2nd story is told about a man who did try to use a potato to silence his gun, which he did shoot, and which potato ended up being found underneath the victim who was shot.

It did not say in what condition the potato was found. Seems like it would have been blown to smithereens, but maybe that's the gratuitous violence we're not supposed to reference.

[Grut]

The Brits are big on suppressing wheelguns....

What the heck is that thing? It looks like a cap pistol!

[colonialhk]

felony too

[ARealMothersSonForever]

It looks like a cap pistol!

Of course it is an airgun. We have all seen the news images of the revolver with the suppressor, though. The only image I could find was from the UK. Great Britain has outlawed handguns dontcha know.

[battlegearboat]

I always order my baked potato fully loaded.

...and about those Tater Tots up above, it's for the chillrunds, you know.

[lonedawg]

This story has been reported by all of Miamis' common "taters".

[BenLurkin]

DO You know how to make an Irish seven course meal?

[DUMBGRUNT]

Airgun moderators are legal in Britian.