http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2poIFkXxM8Y

God help us if Justin Bieber fans target TTAG for suggesting that it’s OK to shoot a likeness of their recently post-pubescent demi-God. Which is not to say that only those suffering from Bieber fever find the practice objectionable. A member of our Armed Intelligentsia recently yanked my chain for my daughter’s 12-gauge assault on a life-sized JB cut-out. “It [is] necessary to teach young folks how to use weapons, but to teach them that taking a life is a game or something to be taken trivially is not cool. Not cool at all,” Jayson R opined. “Would this still be funny if the target was a picture of your kid? I know that my reaction would not be polite if someone took pot shots of a photo of my family. Even if it was just a photo.” So are celebrities fair game, target-wise? How about turban-wearing targets? Your boss? Ex-wife? Where do you draw the line? What’s the most non-PC target you’ve ever shot?

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34 COMMENTS

  1. All anyone was doing was target shooting at a big cardboard cutout. There was no malicious intent. BFD. Shoot at anything you want as long as you’re being safe and no one is getting hurt.

    A caveat; Here in town a couple gang bangers got busted with a life size cardboard cut-out of a LEO and the cops, bureaucrats, local paper and everyone else flipped the F out. The horror! I personally thought there was bigger fish to fry in that particular criminal case (teenager being shot, drug sales) but that cardboard cop really hit a nerve. So everyone might want to avoid that particular target. Stick with the Bieb. Not nearly as incendiary an image.

  2. I routinely practice with my rifle on life-size caricatures of police officers, usually from several hundred yards.

    Once, about 12 years or so ago, about 8 of us pulled a recently junked car out on to a friends 40-acre plot. We bought some old mannequins (including child-sized) from the local KMart, dressed them all up, and planted them inside the junk car. Then, all of us unloaded about six 30rd magazines into the car/family of mannequins.

    How’s that for Non-PC?

  3. I think public figures are different, just like slander rules are different for them. If you were shooting life size pics of your neighbors I think they would be right to be concerned, but if you’re kill house looked like the hall of presidents I wouldn’t see anything wrong with that (though I suspect you might get a visit from some polite men in dark suits). I think it is a good idea to practice with life size silhouettes/pics to get a sense of where the bullets would have actually gone.

  6. I think shooting up a likeness of anyone is just fine. I have prints of B.O.’s face that I tape to milk cartons full of water and my friends and I shoot em from 50-500 yds…good times.

  7. I set up a target of Bin Ladin, and my young son attached a baseball card with his least favorite player. He neutralized both threats with about 100 22-LR rounds. When his mother heard about it she wasn’t too impressed….

  8. Personally I don’t think it should be outlawed, but I still don’t think it’s too cool. It is a real person’s likeness after all. You can hardly argue that it doesn’t give the anti gunners more ammo. I think I’m pretty tolerant of other shooters, but if I had a neighbor who was shooting the likenesses of real people on a regular basis I would be a bit concerned. Unless of course I lived next to a tactical school. The most non PC target I’ve shot was a likeness of Bin Laden shortly after 9/11.

  10. There’s a big difference between target shooting and training to defend yourself. It is my humble opinion that if you aren’t aiming at something that mimics a human outline, then you could be setting yourself up for trouble. You play how you practice and if you are practicing to use your firearm defensively you should be aiming at a silhouette of a person, at the very least.(Last time I checked, no one has had a bullseye threaten their life. ) I can see where people might have a problem with pictures of well known and liked public figures, but Bin Laden or a random guy made to look like a zombie or sterotypical “bad guy? I really don’t see where that becomes an issue. Hunters used outlines of deer, elk, bear etc… People who have a firearm to defend themselves should be using the equivalent.

  11. I’m not a fan of shooting at the likeness of actual persons in general, and celebrities or political figures in particular. Assassinations aren’t funny anywhere, especially here in America where we have much more satisfactory (and non-evil) means of replacing our public officials and ridiculing talentless entertainers. I make an exception for Osama Bin Laden; his assassination would be funnier than hell.

    Having said that, my buddies and I once made a Noriega-head target out of a spoiled pineapple and an old pair of aviator shades. It exploded when hit by a Mini-14, and the cloud of rotten-pineapple mist drifted back into us and smelled like shit.

    • “Assassinations aren’t funny anywhere, ”
      Since when does using a likeness of someone as a target mean you’re going to assassinate them? Damn, I’m glad I never got bit by the PC bug.

  12. I’m all for free speech but this is incendiary free speech and doesn’t further our cause.
    Is JB a bad guy? A bad artist maybe…..a bad guy? No.

  13. I have to agree that you should not shoot at a cutout of a real person. It is just the kind of thing that the media would pick up on to show that gun owners are violent nuts. Furthermore, to me it seems to make a statement like “I want this person dead,” which is rather overboard just because you don’t like someone’s music.

    Also, I would like to ask, would you think it appropriate to shoot a cutout of Gabrielle Giffords, or John Lennon, or JFK?

  14. I used to pass out 11 x 17 targets of Saddam and bin laden at AFS until they banned shooting at photo’s of real people, and everyone got a kick out of these targets (only one person told me that it was not politically correct to do so). I’ve always shot up Michael Jackson at an outdoor range and everyone joined in on the mock execution. I hope Mikeb doesn’t print out a picture of me with the Liberty Gun, cuz I don’t want to be a target. LMAO

  15. If JB’s fans do target TTAG, what’s the worst these lil girls can do, throw lip gloss and makeup at you. LOL

  16. I’m a 13 year old girl (Robert’s step daughter) and no . . . its not ok to shoot Justin. After I watch the JB movie, I love him more then ever. He’s pretty much the hottest guy ever and there’s no reason to shoot him. He is my life and this is the same for many girls and when i mean many, I mean like billions of girls. Robert, I hope I don’t see any more videos like this. thanks.

  17. no shooting: Grayson Chance, James Franco, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Russell Brand, Cory Monteith, Mitchel Musso, Jesse McCartney, Jonas Bro’s, Zac Efron, and Cody Linley.

  18. I think I remember reading something about shooting at a target of an actual specific person (Justin Beiber, Obama) rather than a generic target (a “cop”, a “terrorist”) is problematic if someone sees you doing it or if the person who is being shot in effigy finds out and feels threatened.

    Shooting at an image of a current or living politician would probably be unwise. Particularly someone as thin-skinned as the klingon’s husband.

  19. Taking the life of another human being is one of the worst things that might happen to you for the rest of your life, needless to say, the scenario deserves an appropriate amount of gravity.

    If it was a target where Justin Bieber was pointing a gun at you, that’s one thing. But even to joke about shooting someone because you do not care for some aspect of them is really inexcusable. It’s being a bad human being, and it certainly gives strength to any argument that gun owners are irresponsible people with little sense. “See how casually they take the use of lethal force? They joke about shooting up kids!”

    And sure, you can argue it’s all fun and games and it’s just paper and lead, but we all know a human shaped target is a stand in for the real thing. If you have to save your life or that of someone else when under direct threat from something that would end your life, that’s one thing. Shooting up a proxy of a kid is really something else beyond the pale. For the love of all that is good, use your brains and think about what it looks like to someone else and what it represents.

    • You worded my sentiments exactly. Nice job.

      You will of course be crucified in the court of public opinion if you shoot a picture of Justin Bieber. Or burn the American flag. Or hang someone in effigy.

      None of these are jokes, but these actions pose a threat to no one. If you want to do all that in private is fine, because you have control of witnesses. You shouldn’t be incarcerated for any of these, however.

  20. never shoot him .it’s rude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just cause some plle hate him doesnt mean u should shoot him

  21. Please, people. A human target outline has been used by the Police and Military for years. I was so amused during Community Law Enforcement class to discover this, 1 of my kill shots was off 2 inches from giggling about it. The fact that the target outline greatly resembled my violent ex-husband only enhanced the humorous aspect. I myself would purchase targets that resemble annoying celebrities. JB is a creepy little great start. Children are shooting the digital life out of more life like targets everyday in hundreds of first person shooter video games. Deal with it. PS Anybody know where to get a Lady Gaga cutout…

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