Although the notion of killing someone, especially committing murder, is abhorrible, I would go with a compound bow and/or a crossbow.

That main teenager girl character though. Utterly unwatchable.

I really tried...

Probably on Day 1.

I'm proud of my simian heritage.

I didn't know that either.

Will read no headline anywhere ever...

"Crazed madman kills 26 with samurai sword in an elementary school before stabbing himself to death."

Certainly not as probable as a shooting massacre; as has been demonstrated.

Wikd, acid induced speculation.

Leading weapon would be glitter bombs.

While we're fantasizing.

Gods? Never mind the gods, I got delusional for a second ...

Knives and swords up close.

Poison probably would make a strong comeback as well.

While we're paying the "What If" game...

- What if all the world's chocolate turned into vanilla?

- What if the earth suddenly started rotating backwards?

- What if a clear sky was green instead of blue?

- What if Superman's spaceship landed in Berlin instead of Smallville?

Cool game. I could go on with this all day.

Compared to olden days making these things is very cheap. If everyone was rearming the economies of scale would drive the price way down.

I wonder what armies would look like. Roman Legion, Macedonian Phalanx, Swedish pikeline?

Would there still be explosives?

Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dies_the_Fire

I was annoyed that the show on TV these day was (1) obviously ripping that off and (2) doing a really awful job of it.

I think there would be less killing and to me that is the important part, fewer lives lost

will find a way.

Unbelievable.

"Where is it, precious?! Where IS IIIIIT??!?!"

The whole concept is to kill and maim as many people as possible in a little space of time.

I like the question, because it is the type of question that scientists and inventors should be looking at, and asking what can be done to protect humans from their environment and other humans?

Can a force field be designed to surround a human? There are some forces like static that can repel objects and act as a force field that is very difficult to penetrate. So something along that line that could be activated by a cuff device.

I have considered the static barrier as a means to keep a glass highway I am working on from being exposed to dust, rain or weather, that covers over the highway.

Here is a short article on that force field. http://amasci.com/weird/unusual/e-wall.html

But there are other force fields as well, such as gravity and magnetics, so there are probably others, and eventually, depending on how much research we throw at it, these forces can be harnessed and used to protect humans.

Perhaps we should approach the botanists? Garlic could be a start.

Wait! A perfume that provides such a repellent odor; something like Estee Lauder Youth Dew...

Love the force field idea. If the gun nuts keep building bigger and better guns, we will definitely have to invent some self protection. Something that bounces the bullets back at the shooter would be ideal, please.

The entire point of a gun is to inflict damage from a distance, thereby preventing the threat from getting close to you. It is an equalizer, as it puts people of differing physical prowess on a more level playing field.

A crossbow does the same thing. It doesn't have the range or rate of fire of a gun, but the use of a windlass allows even a weak person to launch a bolt with frightening force.

A crossbow also shoots without a big boom. To be honest, not sure why they aren't used more often for murders. Cheaper, quieter. I have no idea about crossbow bolt forensics, but it seems to me it would also leave less evidence.

I suspect they'd take over. Weapons of war, however, would revert to bows, crossbows, and all sorts of hand weapons like swords, spears, lances, etc.

That sort of "Dies the Fire" scenario makes for very interesting speculation...and a fair degree of horror for those not fortunate enough to be physically capable of brute force violence.