Resistance To Gun Fire

[Ray33]

So I've heard people who are on drugs can survive for longer against gunfire than someone who isn't. I've even heard that even if they get shot in the head and the round completely destroys their brain that the drug still can cause them to fight for several minutes because the drugs, is this true? Is it possible someone on some drugs could fight even if their spinal cord was severed right below their head?

[Skans]

There's no way that is possible. Some people on drugs who sustained gut shots, leg or arm shots might be able to continue fighting for a short time - but that's about it. Some drugs just numb the feeling of pain, that's all - way too much is made of this.

[TailGator]

The things that you heard are exaggerations of fact. Various drugs can make people more or less oblivious to pain and to the threat of incapacitation and death. There is no drug, however, that can overcome the physical damage done by a gunshot wound. If the spinal cord is severed, conscious control of the limbs is absent simply because the spinal cord contains the nerve fibers that transmit commands from the brain to the muscles. Similarly, if brain damage is sufficient that it cannot coordinate movement, the body cannot take on that function in another way. Continued conscious activity during the time between bullet impact into the center of mass and sufficient blood loss to compromise neurologic activity is not only possible, but has been observed with some frequency, however, when certain drugs are in play.

[demigod]

Is it possible someone on some drugs could fight even if their spinal cord was severed right below their head?

It's true of Zombies I heard!

[Brian Pfleuger]

^^^^

What they said....


There's no such thing as "resistance to gunfire".

There are 3 possible outcomes from a bullet impact:

1)It hits something that is instantaneously incapacitating by it's physical effect. The only two things that qualify are spinal cord and brain. No one sustaining a hit to these areas is going to continue, no matter what. In the case of the spine, they may only lose function to a portion of their body, but it will still be instant, and no amount of drugs will matter.

2)It hits something that is fatal.... eventually. In this case, you have a psychological component that may be well ahead of the physical component. Research has shown that some people who are shot will drop instantly to the ground and look/act dead, even with very minor wounds. Other people, drugs or no, will show no immediate effect until whatever damage the bullet caused takes full effect. Even hitting and destroying the heart can take up to 15 seconds to stop an assailant.

3)It hits something that "doesn't matter".... in this case, all you've got is the psychological component. Basically, if the person thinks "AH! I've been shot!" and drops on the ground, then that's what they do. If they are hopped up on whatever it is they get hopped up on and they say "HA! I am SuperMan! No one can stop me!".... well, you keep shooting until you change their mind.

[MilProAkron]

Fight through the pain of non-lethal wounds, yes. But a kill-shot is a kill-shot. Many of the insurgents in Iraq were on heavy drugs during their attacks and they died just fine.

Non-lethal injuries are a different story. I was attacked by a guy on a combination of drugs once. He came at me with a knife. After his shoulder was torn, his elbow slightly dislocated, and his hand was broken, he still wanted to fight. I finally had to choke him out to cuff him.

[ZeSpectre]

There are two aspects to being shot. The Psychological one where someone might go "oh Snap, I've been shot" and collapse in panic and terror, and the physical aspect of being shot. Hollywood has done an excellent job of training the general public to react to the psychology of being shot, but do you want to rely on Hollywood propaganda to save your life?

The majority of the time a human who gets shot thinks (Psychological) "oh, I've been injured, I don't want that to happen again" and ceases most/all aggressive actions.

BUT...those who don't do that (for whatever reason, drugs, psycho, high pain tolerance, adrenalin, distraction, etc.) will ONLY, let me stress that again, ONLY be stopped by severe physical trauma in one (or more) of three areas.

1) Central nervous system disruption (brain, spine)...the electrical signals that control the body can no longer be sent.

2) Support structure (skeleton) disjunction...if you break the supporting structure (bones) the muscles have no levers to move the body about.

3) Exsanguination (bleeding out)...If the blood pressure drops below a certain point there is no longer an oxygen supply to the brain and the central nervous system shuts down (going back to #1)

1 and 2 can take place instantly with a perfect shot, #3 can take ANY amount of time from about 12 seconds (how many times could someone stab you in 12 seconds?) to several hours.

["JJ"]

The drugs allow them to overcome or not realize the pain.
The pain & realization of what has happened, can stop someone who is not totally physically disabled!
The original Faces of Death videos had an individual that was on PCP.
He came at the cops with a knife. He was shot like 20 something times in the abdomen and still had to be tackled to the ground.
This was an older video. Not sure of the ammo used.

A shot that "physically" disables them will overcome the drugs!

Major blood loss (heart shot) will shut them down, eventually!

Spinal cord disabled (high COM or neck shot), no message can get to body! Therefore it can't move!

A shot that destroys a lower limb or joint (hip, knee or thigh shot) will keep that limb from supporting the body.

["JJ"]

+1 ZeSpectre

[Glenn E. Meyer]

If your brain and spinal cord are destroyed, you can't fight. Anyone who said differently is an idiot. Need one even ask?

Asked answered and closed.