Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Iconic Image

What is the image in your head when you think of a 'gun'.  Like, if you dreamed about a person with a gun, what kind is most likely to show up in your mind.

Well maybe not YOU, loyal reader.  You are prolly a gun enthusiast and are extra familiar with guns. 

But regular folks.  Non enthusiasts. 

A lot of input for this is going to come from Hollywood.  That will be the primary source of image in their head.  Sure, everyone has SEEN a gun in real life.  Maybe even have one in the house, but they see more guns through the TV or movie screen.  (Maybe comics too for some people)  So, the more of a familiar type there the more it will become a default image.  Maybe. 

Or I could be talking out my butt.

If I had to guess I'd say a black revolver.   I am biased by my own life experience, however.  My formative years, the cops all had revolvers.  The opening to the Adventures of Superman had the closeup of a revolver in 'faster than a speeding bullet...'  All the TV shows were revolver heavy unless it was a WWII movie.  Cops shows and cowboy shows were revolvers.

But a 25 year old, now...  What gun is first to mind for his or her head?  Has the Glock style black generic semi taken over from the revolver?

I did a quick poll of folks around me.  I got "revolver maybe" and "shotgun usually" and "skinny skinny barrel" and "nothing specific but I am a gunnie" and "non specific black pistol, could be revolver or semi" and "Beretta" and "9mm Beretta" and "the one 007 has in the opening of his movies" and, oddly "Mauser BYF 42 is my default image."  And that last one was a Marine who owns no pistols.

Usually a pistol, you notice?

This would be entirely different in a different culture.  Burma?  Morocco?  Totally different cultural and real life exposure to firearms.   If you go your life rarely seeing a pistol, and never seeing a revolver, then a revolver shouldn't be the default.

But it looks like the Army and the Lethal Weapons movies have worked their way with the generation slightly younger than me.

8 comments:

TheAxe said...

I'm 29, back when i got my first gun, before i was into the gunnie stuff, I got a s&w K-frame because it was the iconic "gun" to me. I didn't know it was a k-frame, just that that size, shape, black revolver, was the most gun looking thing on the table to my brain.

Wilson said...

The 1911 for me. I've been around them since I was a kid.

Erin Palette said...

Not just a 1911, but specifically a Colt .45 with blued steel and brown grips.

Knucklehead said...

Funny you mentioned the black revolver. What had gone through my head when I read the question was, "A revolver... the one that gets thrown at Superman in the old TV show." Odd.

Old NFO said...

SAA with most of the bluing worn off and plain old wood grips in an old El Paso Saddlery rig...

Bubblehead Les. said...

Most people see their First Guns in the REAL World when they walk past a Cop or a Security Guard. So most of the Time, it's some sort of Handgun.

Geodkyt said...

My brain goes, "M16A1". But that was my issue weapon. . .

I think the Glock is the new standard for non-gunnies. There's a reason all the art guys keep using a Glock-ish profile on "No Guns" signs.

ASM826 said...

If you say "gun", it's a 1911. If you say "handgun", it's still the 1911. However, if you say "pistol" or "rifle", it brings up something else.