I Have Had It !!!!! :(

My son has some "friends" that are very questionable and they are going to get him into serious trouble with the police. I won't go into details at this time because there may be a real problem developing right now. I just got back from the store a few minutes ago and my son and one of his #%###%#%%&& "friends" were sitting on the front porch. The "friend" held up a long object and then tried to keep me from seeing what it was. I did see it and when I asked what it was I was told it was a "potato gun", I said it couldn't be on our property. What is a "potato gun", and what is it used for?? Do I have a reason to be worried or am I over-reacting????

Well, Lorie, I'd be concerned, if I were you. I had no idea what you were referring to, so I did a quick search on Google. Came up with several sites concerning "potato gun", along with instructions for building. The basic definition is: A potato gun sometimes called a spudzooka or spud gun is weapon that can launch spuds at over 200 ft/s. It is a propellant based gun that uses any propane based aerosol as a propellant (most experiments use hair spray, for it is inexpensive and easy to use). The way it works is propellant is injected into the combustion chamber and ignited with a BBQ sparker, as the gas expands it pushes the potato up the barrel and out of the gun.

Looks like a weapon that can be potentially dangerous. Plus the fact that using propane is not the wisest idea in the world.

i'm just a kid and well know now you know mostly all to know, but you may not know in most places the are agaist the law! They are of very unsafe and can make very bad wounds. NOTE: i have never used one.


But what do i know i'm just a kid a kid.

They would just be used for fun. I Think... so you may not want to lisen to me. Sorry if i was no help.

Those guns are dangerous Lorie. Mike's son had one a long time ago and he used hair spray to launch it. When he went to fire it off he caught the garage on fire by accident! Thankfully it was wintertime, and snowing in Alaska so the fire was quickly put out, but still. It is just a metal pipe that you stuff one end with a potato and the other you light after the accelerant is poured in. Nasty business!

Vash, you did help, thank you.

Deb, right after I started this thread I did a google search too and found the same information. Also, my son happened to come inside and I had a serious talk with him about my concerns.

Here is a picture of a potato gun that looks just like the one I saw.
I think these things look very dangerous. It's horrible to have instructions and pictures of something like this on the internet where just anyone can find it!!!!!

Hissy, I am sorry to hear about the fire, I hope your stepson wasn't injured also.

My son has been raised correctly and is well thought of by others. Some of his "friends" have been raised by people who just don't care. My son always says he would associate with other people if they were available to him but we live in a small town and his choices of friends is limited. How can this situation be corrected and improved?

I lived in a small town, and the choices were limited, but I still never made the choice your son is making. Are you certain that he has not been influenced by this group?

Lorie - my son is 18 and it is hard sometimes to watch them grow up and make choices that we perhaps do not agree with. I will tell you that the more you talk to him and spend time butting into his business, the better! My son thinks I am the nosiest person in the world - that tells me I am doing a good job. So, Stay involved and Stay Butting In!

We went thru a phase here with those paint ball guns. Thankfully most time these things pass..........

I had never heard of such a thing until now...but it seems to me this kind of weapon could be very very dangerous!!! If aimed at people or animals, it could do serious damage!!

I can't give you any parenting advice, but even living in a big town I still hung out with the not-so-good crowd. Like your son, I was raised right, and had a good relationship with my parents. Contrary to popular thought, friends only influence so much. Someone who knows right from wrong will generally still make good decisions. Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule, but I can say for sure that both my sister and I ran with tough crowds and neither of us got into serious trouble. We both ended up OK.

I agree with what's been said so far, too. Stay on him. I always had to check in with my parents and keep them informed. As much as some of my friends gave me hell about it, at one time or another all of them said "I wish my parents cared where I am."

Yes, you have very good reason to be concerned about a potato gun. I have personal experience with them. A bunch of adults made one and we played with it in an old junkyard. It can break a windshield from 50 yards, and knock dents in cars that you would not believe! Imagine what it could do to a kid. I won't comment on the friends, having been one of them during my misspent youth, but the potato gun is a huge concern. Good Luck with this.

Deb25, My son has known these "friends" for a while but they didn't have a strong influence on him until very recently. My son and I have a good relationship and he does know right from wrong. I am really concerned about him right now and I hope he won't let anyone talk him into making a really bad decision.

Lorie:

I think that the advice Debra Myers gave was the best. Keep those lines of communication very open, and keep "butting in". Peer pressure can be very tough at this age.

Deb25, I do plan to follow Debra's advice.

Thanks for all the help guys!