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Rubber Band Gun

ByBruce Sharp

Naughty Fun

Making a rubber band gun is a bit of a dilemma. Is it an encouragement for naughty behaviour? Is it a precursor for violent solutions to problems?

As a child, the rubber band guns I made were delicious! Mum didn’t like them; that made them more fun! I didn’t shoot dogs or people; the ethics I have were already well entrenched. Do I presume the right to deprive children of the fun I had? Nah, let’s make a rubber band gun.

So, if you trawl the web you will bump into lots of exciting things. But, most exciting is a maker who created a semi-automatic from chop sticks! It is exciting because its simplicity eloquent!!

Here is my version, created for a kids’ woodwork session. It makes a woodwork project out of a post banquet game.

The semi-automatic secret is in the way the bands are loaded. It is REALLY clever.  Do the trawling yourself. The designer deserves to be discovered. You will enjoy your own act of discovery.

The bands seem to be in a bit of a tangle. As each shot is fired, the next band positions itself, ready for launch. I wish I’d had this when I was ten.

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