This Spud’s For You
You just have to love urban legends. Especially ones that keep going and going and going even when they are, well, dumb. A Miami, Florida man was arrested following a domestic dispute. He had threatened to shoot the woman who he had a child with with a pistol. Not just any pistol, either, but one equipped with a silencer. Well, not really a silencer. Actually a hollowed out potato.
It may be a novel way to create potato salad, but a potato will not "silence" a pistol shot.
During a domestic dispute, Thompson carved a hole in a potato with a spoon, stuck the barrel of his gun inside and threatened to shoot the mother of his child, Miami-Dade police said Friday.
He even explained to her that no one would hear the shot.
Thompson, 23, was arrested and charged late last month with false imprisonment, aggravated assault and battery.
His next court date will be June 15.
He couldn't be reached for comment.
The vegetable, while rich in carbs, does not make an effective silencer, police say.
The myth dates back to mob murders of the 1920s and has persisted through movies and word of mouth.
''It was fine in Dick Tracy, but in real life, it's not true,'' said Miami-Dade Sgt. Bob Hoelscher, a longtime firearms technician who is not involved in the case.
The sound of a gunshot can be suppressed somewhat if the gun is low-caliber and the cartridge is weak enough, Hoelscher said.
But it usually makes a mess.
Detectives seized a 9mm Ruger pistol from Thompson.
''You're going to have potato salad 360 degrees from the muzzle,'' Hoelscher said.
The myth that just keeps giving. The article goes on to detail a number of cases from all over where the potato silencer was used. There's even an attempt to convict someone of using a silencer (which adds a 25 year kicker to the sentence in Federal court). The judge set that one aside. "Silencing" a gun takes some specialized knowledge and possession of a silencer can get you a surprise visit from the BATF.
Thompson did not shoot the woman, fortunately, but did strike her.
If you are intent on trying out the urban myth, we suggest a few alternatives such as this and this particular way to turn potatoes deadly.
Criminal Masterminds | Gaius Sunday, 4 June , 2006
By Shawn, Sunday, 4 June , 2006 @ 6:49 pm
How many times have you seen someone in a movie use a silencer with a revolver? Heh, there is a gap between the cylinder and the barrel, which emits quite a bit of the “band”, thereby negating a silencer. I wonder if this guy’s prison mates will call him “Mr. Potato Head”?
By Shawn, Sunday, 4 June , 2006 @ 6:55 pm
Sorry, I meant “bang” above, not “band”.