Rail guns are real!!!!!!

[Takelli]

Do we REALLY need another weapon of war, and mass murder to kill innocents?

[Malacite]

Re: Rail guns are real!!!!!!

The U.S. Navy has had prototypes for some time now actually.

The problems are they take too much power, and generate too much heat (the guns practically melt after firing).

[Taskmage]

Re: Rail guns are real!!!!!!

What Mal said. I saw that video, and it's almost identical to one I saw nearly a decade ago. I'm no physicist, but I'd predict rail guns don't become practical weapons until we're doing battle in the vacuum of space.

Which reminds me

In concept, this thing is a deck gun for a large naval vessel, and less likely than most weapons to be used in a situation where it could cause a large amount of collateral damage. For a scarier but less fanciful weapon, google "oxygen bomb." There's actually a significant amount of effort and research being put into non-lethal weapons for police and military forces, but even that comes with its own set of pitfalls.

[Malacite]

Re: Rail guns are real!!!!!!

That's basically how it's being used now, aboard Aircraft Carriers as they're the only ships large enough to mount them on.