Why Do Rappers Hold Their Guns Sideways?

Slate ^ | December 14, 2009 | Brian Palmer

[Second Amendment First]

Why wouldn't you just fire a pistol the normal way?

As police chased Raymond "Ready" Martinez through Times Square on Thursday, the street hustler and aspiring rapper fired two shots, holding the gun sideways "like a character out of a rap video."

[Second Amendment First]

While the New York Post reported that Martinez's side grip caused the gun to "stovepipe"—that's when the spent casing gets caught in the ejection port, jamming the weapon—it's unlikely that the horizontal orientation caused the failure. In theory, tilting a gun sideways—90-degrees counter-clockwise for a right-handed shooter—means that gravity works against the ejection of the spent casing. As a practical matter, however, gravity is so weak compared to the force of the ejection that jamming is no more frequent in the sideways position than in the customary one. The more likely cause of the jam was Martinez's choice of weapon and ammunition. The MAC-10 is prone to stovepiping—a problem that's exacerbated by the use of hollow-point bullets, which may become deformed and scrape the inside of the barrel, or underpowered ammunition, which can slow the slide and throw off the mechanism's timing.

[Doomonyou]

Cause they’re dumb-asses?

[rcrngroup]

Rappers are dumb asses even in the way they hold a handgun and try to look menacing!!! The cowardly dumb asses are menacing only when no one is shooting back at them!!!

[IronJack]

the street hustler and aspiring rapper

And successful corpse ...

[Quilla]

I assumed that if one chose to sweep the street, holding the gun sideways helped keep it at the most effective level.

[Cobra64]

Because that’s how they pick it up off the crack table?

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Amen, bro’!!

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Amen, bro’!!

[montomike]

Knuckles make better gun-sites.

Try it.

I’m series!

[KSCITYBOY]

So they look cool when they take a slug from someone who knows how to use a weapon.

[Candor7]

Cause they want hot brass down their necks and also they want the glittering brass to interfere with their point of aim ( they have no point of aim. they just hose.LOL.)

Lets hope they keep stylin’ and dyin’.

[Jaxter]

I think “limp wristing” could cause this as well. Wouldn’t that be embarassing for Mr. Martinez..

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

To give me a chance when they jam or stovepipe.

Hold a gun side-ways at my local pistol range and the rangemaster will toss you and you may NEVER return.

Works for me....

[OKSooner]

What? Someone actually does that in real li - oh wait... this guy was a criminal.

That 'splains it, I suppose.

[Shimmer1]

I have a friend that’s a former Marine sniper. I asked him this very question, he said they are fools who just think it looks cool.

[wardaddy]

because they demographically have an IQ of around 75-80 historically?

[parsifal]

I think you have the best answer. Keep gun from kicking up, then having to bring back down. Of course, there is a two hand stance.

parsy, who knows his 357 will kick your hand up if you ain’t ready for it.

[GeronL]

I bet it started with a movie or something. They all started copying each other. idjits

[a fool in paradise]

Because they failed physics.

[Second Amendment First]

Good analysis:

During the first half of the 20th century, soldiers used the side grip for the express purpose of endangering throngs of people. Some automatic weapons from this era—like the Mauser C96 or the grease gun—fired so quickly or with such dramatic recoil that soldiers found it impossible to aim anything but the first shot. Soldiers began tilting the weapons, so that the recoil sent the gun reeling in a horizontal rather than vertical arc, enabling them to spray bullets into an onrushing enemy battalion instead of over their heads.