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Pentathalon sport moves to laser guns instead of actual projectile weapons.

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Atypical Liberal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 06:01 PM
Original message
Pentathalon sport moves to laser guns instead of actual projectile weapons.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20110225/SPORTS/102250333/Pentathlon-participants-use-lasers-first-time-competition-?odyssey=nav|head

"The shooting discipline of the five-sport event that also includes swimming, running, fencing and equestrian jumping, is contested without the air pistol and lead bullets that had been previously used. According to the pentathlon federation, the previous firearms polluted the air with gas and heavy metals in the gun powder. Switching to air pistol was a first step, but that kept the lead projectiles, so laser was implemented to be more environmentally friendly. Safety was another issue that is now solved with the laser."

Geez. Half the skill of shooting is the mind game involved in overcoming the recoil.

Why don't these people just play a video game for shooting?
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RUMMYisFROSTED Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 06:09 PM
Response to Original message
1. "The recoil metric is lost!"
:scared:
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speltwon Donating Member (699 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 06:15 PM
Response to Original message
2. Dr Evil would be proud.
Maybe they can attach the fricken lasers to their HEADS!!!
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Cronus Protagonist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 06:26 PM
Response to Original message
3. It's much easier to estimate the trajectory of photons than bullets
I expect everyone in that sport to hit the bulls eye every shot.
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petronius Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 06:35 PM
Response to Original message
4. Have they considered the massive water use involved in swimming pools, not to mention
the chlorine? Perhaps they should develop some sort of swimming surrogate based on the Wii platform. Also, using horses for those events is tantamount to animal abuse, not to mention the water and other resources used by the creatures. I see no reason why the equestrian part of the sport can't be replaced with some sort of activity based on those electronic pets (tamagotchi?)...
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Maine_Nurse Donating Member (688 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 06:53 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. Don't forget the extra CO2 from exertion--Ban sports now, its for the children!
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Katya Mullethov Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 07:52 PM
Response to Reply #6
14. Drain the pool and ride motorcylces in it .
BRAAAAAAAPPP .
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ZombieHorde Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 04:17 PM
Response to Reply #4
32. As a person who doesn't like sports, but does like video games,
Edited on Sat Feb-26-11 04:18 PM by ZombieHorde
I think your ideas are great. Wii Horse!
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-..__... Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 06:43 PM
Response to Original message
5. Christ... you'd swear the ammo was loaded with Plutonium and Sarin..
Edited on Fri Feb-25-11 06:49 PM by -..__...
they way the overly anal pollyanna's express their concerns...

"previous firearms polluted the air with gas and heavy metals in the gun powder".

:eyes:
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DissedByBush Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 08:49 PM
Response to Reply #5
16. I guess they never heard of non-lead bullets
The health effects of the smokeless powder of a few .22 rounds is also BS.

This is pure anti-gun political correctness, trying to erase history.
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ProgressiveProfessor Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 07:11 PM
Response to Original message
7. Unless they tighen up the target/scoring, its going to be way too easy now
Recoil, winds etc are all part of the sport
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Ian David Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 07:25 PM
Response to Original message
8. They could invent a laser gun that simulates recoil? n/t
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Maine_Nurse Donating Member (688 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 07:31 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. The fake recoil wouldn't do much, the hardest parts...
are calculating trajectory corrections based on temps, wind speed, etc. There is just no way to really simulated the numerous variables involved. It is now, effectively, a race interrupted by a video game.
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Ian David Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 07:33 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. They should ski for a mile and then play Pac-Man. n/t
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DissedByBush Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 08:51 PM
Response to Reply #8
17. The military uses does it with their trainers
There's a compressed air system to provide recoil.

But it's just for training.
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PavePusher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 10:22 PM
Response to Reply #17
18. Those simulators are also primarily about situational exersices....
and have little or nothing to do with marksmanship.
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DissedByBush Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 02:59 AM
Response to Reply #18
23. They do marksmanship and situational
http://www.peostri.army.mil/PRODUCTS/EST_2000/

Depends on the selected program.
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Ian David Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 10:43 AM
Response to Reply #17
26. I've fired something like that at a National Guard armory.
"It's as easy as loading a stapler," they told us.

Ever try loading a stapler while you're being fired at? In the dark?

I've decided that I'd be an awesome soldier, if only I had someone hanging around to reload my weapon for me all the time.
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Maine_Nurse Donating Member (688 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 07:27 PM
Response to Original message
9. Might as well do away with the shooting altogether, everyone should fire perfect.
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slackmaster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 07:33 PM
Response to Reply #9
12. They could just poing finger guns at the target and say "BANG!"
:nuke:
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Atypical Liberal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 07:49 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. I lolled.
:)
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Maine_Nurse Donating Member (688 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 08:05 PM
Response to Reply #12
15. Screw it, I say switch to lightsaber duels! Way more interesting.nt
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Hoopla Phil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 02:39 AM
Response to Reply #15
22. They also make cool sounds. Right LOANSTARRRR? n/t
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Hoopla Phil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-25-11 10:41 PM
Response to Original message
19. So when they come out with a phased plasma rifle will the fact that it is used
in the pentathlon automatically make it covered by the Heller decision?
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AtheistCrusader Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 02:29 AM
Response to Reply #19
20. Plasma Weapons: Totally worth it.
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Hoopla Phil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 02:37 AM
Response to Reply #20
21. Aummmm. Sweeeet! n/t
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Ken_Fish Donating Member (520 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 01:44 PM
Response to Reply #19
30. Sporting Use. Nice thinking.
This google search image for plasma is off topic but hilarious. roll tape forward 8 seconds to boiling metal landing in cleavage..

http://image.minitruckinweb.com/f/12256695+w750+st0/0511mt_07_z+plasma_arc_cutting_and_welding+drag_plasma_cutter.jpg
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Euromutt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 05:53 AM
Response to Original message
24. Why don't they scrap the shooting part and replace it with tossing skoosh balls into a bucket?
I mean, the way this story reads to me is that the UIPM is coming up with pretexts to get those icky guns out of the pentathlon. So maybe they should just throw out the shooting part entirely and replace it with, for example, throwing skoosh balls into a bucket. If nothing else, it'll save the athletes a lot of money on equipment.
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Callisto32 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 07:20 AM
Response to Original message
25. Completely removes the point of marksmanship.
Edited on Sat Feb-26-11 07:23 AM by Callisto32
Part of marksmanship is having to "dope out" the ballistics of the projectile.

Now it's a perfectly straight beam of light? No influence of wind, temp, humidity, the sun, the moon, your wife, your life? Sounds like a crap-tastic change and removal of a lot of that part of the game, to me.

Edit: I added something on edit, then read it again and realized the poorly written sentence quoted in the OP didn't mean what I thought it meant.
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one-eyed fat man Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 10:55 AM
Response to Original message
27. What crap!
But you had to know it was coming when British law made it impossible for the British Olympic team to practice with pistols in the UK. There was a big flap over the London Olympics and allowing competitors using "real pistols."

I am surprised they still allow fencing and javelins. Humans have been using swords and spears for millenia longer than guns to brutalize and terrorize their fellows.
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Hangingon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 12:15 PM
Response to Original message
28. Why don't they skip swimming, running, fencing ...
and equestrian jumping too. I just spet a week with my 13 year old grandson and watched him play video games. Lots of shooting, running in those. The IOC should give gold medals to theose with the strongest, most agile thumbs.
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kudzu22 Donating Member (426 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 01:32 PM
Response to Original message
29. They should take the swimming, running, fencing and riding out too
and just play Xbox instead.
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sylvi Donating Member (169 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-26-11 02:37 PM
Response to Original message
31. I always knew
I always knew playing a lot of Call Of Duty would serve me well one day.

Olympics, here I come!
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