Some legal firearms stuff is really stupid, but useful for creating mayhem.

[MineralMan]

Here's an example. It's a 100-round drum magazine for a Glock pistol:



It exists because it can exist. Someone manufactures it, and it sells for about $350. Is it useful? In no way. It defeats the entire purpose of that pistol, which is designed to be used as a sidearm. But, you can buy one of these, if you wish.

Similarly, 100-round drum magazines for the AR-15 type semi-auto rifles are also available. They, at least, make some sort of sense, if you think you will be attacked by a horde of people who are not sufficiently armed to overrun your position and kill you. Like the 100-round magazine for the Glock, people buy these. In most cases it's just a purchase of some weird, almost useless accessory. It makes some people feel powerful, and works in their fantasies, if nowhere else.

However, the easy availability of such impractical devices is certainly beneficial for someone wishing to create mayhem. Such things are very rare events, and most of these magazines are stashed away and brought out to show people what cool stuff you have, or at the range, if you're an attention hog. For the mass shooter, or the mayhem maker, they serve another purpose. Equipped with one of these, you can create a great deal of mayhem without having to pause to reload your weapon. Attached to a Glock pistol, the one above would serve the same purpose, while making your arms very tired, very quickly.

I can think of no valid use for either magazine in civilian use. If you're a firearms aficionado, they're pretty cool technology. If you're a mercenary soldier, they'd be useful enough if you had a real assault rifle, I suppose. For the civilian owner, though, they're a hobby thing.

For the mayhem-maker, however, they're very useful and, in the United States, very easy to acquire. Perhaps they shouldn't be. Maybe fewer people would have died had the Aurora shooter not had access to a $250 100-round drum magazine for his rifle. I don't know.

[HopeHoops]

1. The modern equivalent of the tommy gun.

[MineralMan]

2. Not really. With a civilian Glock or AR equivalent

you're still talking about semi-auto fire. The tommy gun was full auto or select fire.

[GarroHorus]

5. Youtube "Bump firing"

An AR-15 that is bump fired can easily achieve a fire rate of 500 rounds per minute. An M-16 on full automatic fires at a rate of 800 rounds per minute.

Edit

Bump firing is 100% legal and accessories that make bump firing easier to do are 100% ATF approved.

[MineralMan]

7. Wonderful. Yes, I know about that.

Lots of applications for that, aren't there? It's a great way to burn up ammo. Personally, I have a 30-.06 rifle. One shot at a time that hits its target every time. I'm not in a war zone, you see.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. Such magazines have serious reliability issues

Which is why they are not used in the military or cops. With some training, anyone can change magazines very quickly. The snail magazines are really useless bling in the real world.

[MineralMan]

8. Yes. They're toys for the firearms enthusiasts.

Expensive toys to show off at the range. I believe the Aurora shooters. 100-round magazine jammed, ending his shooting spree.

[GarroHorus]

4. I love your long distance pyschiatric diagnosis there.

I know some people who've bought high capacity magazines. The way it was explained to me is they are mostly for having a bit of fun on the firing range.

[MineralMan]

9. As I said, they're toys.

They're great for showing off. And that's why people buy them. Aside from that, they have no civilian uses. Unless, of course, you want to shoot up a theater or something. I grew up in the firearms culture. I still own some, but am no longer part of that culture.

[JeepJK556]

6. I hope

if a psycho ever tries to shoot me with a Glock, that he uses one of those 100 round drums.

I've seen one in use before and it was unreliable garbage that constantly jammed. It's really only good as a novelty item.

[MineralMan]

10. Well, I suspect that nobody will do that to you or me.

It seems unlikely in the extreme. Silly gun culture toys.

[Archae]

11. Not going to help to outlaw these.

They'll just be sold illegally.

[MineralMan]

12. Actually, that's incorrect, I think.

These things have to be manufactured. Without the people who buy them as toys, the demand would be too low, since they're really not useful for any real purpose.

They would disappear from the marketplace.

[lunatica]

13. That looks like a wannabe dildo

Tee-hee!

[MineralMan]

14. I chose not to mention that, lest someone

accuse me of something.