One wonders how shooting at a hurricane became a thing that people actually had to be warned against. According to the UK Telegraph, just as Hurricane Irma started to bear down on the state of Florida, a person named Ryon Edwards, age 22, set up a Facebook Event in which he proposed staving off boredom and frustration by firing weapons into the storm. 40,000 people posted interest in doing so. Others suggested that maybe using flamethrowers would do the trick.
A sheriff warns against shooting at hurricanes
The sheriff of Pasco County, located on the west coast of Florida near Tampa was moved to take to Twitter to suggest that shooting at hurricanes would be a Bad Idea.
“o clarify, Do Not shoot weapons @ #Irma. You won't make it turn around & it will have very dangerous side effects.”
Being outside during a hurricane is unwise whatever one is doing. Wind, floods, and flying objects make such an act a hazard to life and limb. Setting off fire arms is also iffy, since high winds might have a tendency to send bullets in unexpected directions. Using a flamethrower is an almost sure bet for getting the Darwin Award, given to the person who put himself out of the gene pool is the most idiotic manner.
What would the Mythbusters deal with the idea?
The idea seems to be of relevance considering the “Mythbusters” is coming back this November with a new cast. Naturally, the myth that a bullet fired into a hurricane would somehow affect the storm can be disposed of fairly quickly.
However, finding out the effect on the bullet might prove to be illuminating.
Since hurricanes generally do no hit Northern California where the show is taped and, in any case, the lawyers would blanch at the idea of actually shooting into a hurricane, a more controlled set up would be necessary. One imagines a specially outfitted wind tunnel with a remote control fire arm and high-speed cameras to track the trajectory of the bullet.
Tests could be done at various levels of hurricanes, starting with Cat 1 and ramping up to Cat 5. Lots of fun would be had by all, and some people will learn some fundamentals of physics. One could even use different kinds of weapons ranging from a nine millimeter to an AR15. A big mounted chain gun of the type that Kari Byron used to love shooting may be going too far.
And, of course, we end with the standard 'Mythbusters' disclaimer. “Do not try this at home. We’re what you might call experts.”
