Spud Guns: Legal And Dangerous - When it fired a frog, it blinded a 17-year-old Boy

CBS News ^ | 08/20/03 | Staff Writer

[bedolido]

(CBS) Just when 17-year-old Daniel Berry's life had found new light, he must find his way in the dark.

"It's not right, I'm not used to being blind," he says. "It's a whole new world for me and not one that I would've chosen."

Berry was shot in the face, looking down the barrel of a home-built contraption called a spud gun. When it fired a frog, it blinded him.

"If it would've been anything else it would've killed me," he says.

Spud guns fire potatos like light artillery. Some versions launch tennis balls.

A garage in Appleton, Wisconsin may be the center of the spud gun universe; that's where Joel Suprise has a booming business making spud guns of all sizes.

The guns are dangerous, can cause property damage and can cause severe bodily injury, he says.

"It's an item that's designed for fun and recreation but they need to be used safely," says Suprise.

The guns are made of plastic plumbing pipe and fueled by deodorant or hairspray fumes. A barbecue igniter is used for a trigger, and a potato, or anything that fits, goes down the barrel. It's a $60 weapon.

In the eyes of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, spud guns are not illegal. But across the country, some towns want them outlawed and police are confiscating spud guns regularly.

One gun was used in a North Carolina drive-by shooting. Another blinded an eye of a Pennsylvania house painter.

"They need to be used under adult supervision, the same with any type of gun," says Surprise.

On the Internet, they're a phenomenon, with nearly 9,000 spud gun hits. Web sites show people how to build or buy them cheap.

"I'm not the bad guy," says Suprise. "I'm just trying to live the American dream."

Berry had an American dream too.

"I wanted to finish up my college and go to the air force and be a pilot," he says.

Now, he struggles with a new life of talking calculators and the language of Braille.

But he wants his blindness to be his warning of what can happen when people play with any kind of gun.

© MMIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[thackney]

Actually it was more a case of amphibious assault...

Shamelessly stolen from the first frog thread.

[Wolfie]

If this kid had anything to do with putting the frog in the gun, I say good on the frog.

[natewill]

Berry had an American dream too.

(Sniff) Poor Berry, poor poor Berry.

Is this a Dave Barry column? It sure has Dave Barry's sense of melodrama and sarcasm.

[biblewonk]

What calliber of frog was used? Maybe it was the evil 2.230 caliber frog which is far more than anyone needs for home defense or hunting.

Was it a jacketed frog or worse yet a hydroshock frog?

[Jonah Hex]

As far as the blinded kid goes . . . Another finalist for the Darwin Award.

Since the kid lived, the best he can hope for is honorable mention. The frog, all over the other hand, is a contender.

[Chewbacca]

Is it better to use PVC pipe or ABS pipe when making one of these?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Is it better to use PVC pipe or ABS pipe when making one of these?

Depends what kind of frog you're gonna use.

[TexasRepublic]

What was was the sectional density and ballistic co-efficient of the frog? What is the point-blank range? Home reloaders and inquiring minds want to know!

[Chewbacca]

What would be best for Bull Frogs? PVC or ABS?

[G.Mason]

"WOW! Of all the things I've fired from my 'tater cannon, I never thought to put a frog in it. Hey! Wait a minute! They're not talking about a small Frenchman are they???"

Priceless!!!!!!!!

[G.Mason]

Don't be put off by the complaints that this was posted before.

In another month, or so, the replies it will receive will only get better.

[ctlpdad]

paint

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Schedule 40 PVC. I made one with a Coleman grill ignitor (the kind with a flint for a bigger spark). I gave up hairspray, in favor of welding gas which burns cleaner.

[zeugma]

Excellent. For a serious boost in stopping power, you might screw a large 1/2" bolt into the spud. It'll go straight through a metal 50 gal. barrel. The spud pretty much vaporizes on impact.

[Charles Martel]

For a serious boost in stopping power, you might screw a large 1/2" bolt into the spud. It'll go straight through a metal 50 gal. barrel. The spud pretty much vaporizes on impact.

Hot dang, a potato-sabot round with galvanized lagscrew penetrator! Gotta jot that one down in my "devious ideas" notebook, on the same page as the "frozen paintball" suggestion. :-)

[chadwimc]

The first one I build was on the Outer Banks. Rain, rip tides and no fish was a bad combination for three teenagers and their goofy uncle(me). The local Ace hardware had all the parts we needed. I was confronted on the beach one night by a sherrif's deputy who wanted to confiscate it. He ended up calling two supervisors,trying to figure out some kind of violation. They ended up just confiscating my plans...

[bert]

Query..... did they check the boy's palms to see if there was any hair growing?

[Charles Martel]

Hmmm, are spudguns rifled?

It's a possibility!

[anymouse]

Caption this photo: "Want fries with that?" :)

[libstripper]

The guy just missed winning a Darwin Award, and we're supposed to be sorry for him? Those who're dumb enough to look down the barrels of loaded guns usually don't have very long life spans.