The pig sees her, turns, aims, and shoots her almost point blank.

    • echo_dream_nomad@lemmy.ca
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      6 days ago

      Point Blank: The distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it. In particular no allowance needs to be made for effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile.

      You are correct, it wasn’t “almost point blank”, because it is absolutely point blank.

    • destructdisc@lemmy.worldOP
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      5 days ago

      Judging by their relative sizes in the screengrab and with some quick back-of-the-envelope math, the cop shot her from about 5 meters away. That’s pretty fucking close to point blank, no?

      • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        5 days ago

        Honestly I assumed that it was a lot closer than that too, by that definition since I have a 50-200yd zero on my rifle, that’d mean anything out to 200yd is technically “point blank” which kinda seems like not how the phrase is usually used.

        • LowtierComputer@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          No, for you it would be anything within 50 that’s essentially an easy shot. No leading or anything like that.

          At 200 yards the bullet has curved above the point of aim and fallen back down to your impact point.

          • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            5 days ago

            I’ve rethought actually, and technically, since gravity starts to affect it the second it leaves the muzzle (trajectory is parabolic because your muzzle is aimed slightly up, not because bullets defy gravity), there is no point blank past the muzzle.

              • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                4 days ago

                Don’t blame me, blame the dictionary that decided to define it by “affected by gravity” which honestly it still would be affected by gravity in the barrel even, since it’s on damn earth. I guess point blank only exists in space lol.

                • LowtierComputer@lemmy.world
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                  4 days ago

                  Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm or gun can hit a target without the need to elevate the barrel to compensate for bullet drop, i.e. the gun can be pointed horizontally at the target.[1][2]

                  • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                    4 days ago

                    https://www.nrawomen.com/content/dispelling-the-myth-of-bullet-rise

                    The law of universal gravitation means that a bullet leaving the muzzle of the barrel travels in a straight line from the muzzle until the effects of gravity. As stated above, the effect of gravity starts working on the bullet immediately.

                    The barrel of the firearm must be slightly elevated when fired, or the bullet would drop and come into contact with the ground very fast and relatively close to the where the projectile exits the muzzle. In reality, the rifle muzzle is elevated, and the line of sight is downward toward the target. To put it in reference, when your sights are on a target, your barrel is pointed upward. Even at close range, the muzzle is elevated, be it very slightly and when aiming, the line of sight is slightly downward.

      • Sciaphobia@sh.itjust.works
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        5 days ago

        I’ll admit that before reading this comment thread I probably would have said that point blank is so close you could basically reach out and touch, or nearly touch, the target.

        I do hope, however, that I would look it up before contesting how it was used.

        • SaltSong@startrek.website
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          5 days ago

          The technical term comes from archery. In archery, the arrow rises when fired, so when shooting at very close targets, you actualy aim lower than the point you want to hit. At distant targets, of course, you aim higher, because the arrow will start to fall.

          “Point Blank” is the distance at which you aim directly at the target. Last time I did any shooting, it was about 22 feet, with my bow and my arrows.

          • too_high_for_this@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            It actually comes from artillery, but it’s the same idea.

            Cannons were tapered, so the bore would point slightly upwards compared to the line of sight on top of the cannon. So the projectiles trajectory would rise above and then fall below the line of sight.

            Point blank range was the distance at which the projectile drops below that line when the cannon was aimed at zero elevation.

            • SaltSong@startrek.website
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              5 days ago

              It actually comes from artillery, but it’s the same idea.

              I question the accuracy of this statement. Archers existed long before black-powder artillery. At the same time, though, I don’t know if anyone would have been concerned with that measurement, way back when.

              EDIT: Wikipedia suggests that the term did, in fact, originate with muzzle-loaded artillery. Good on you for correcting me.

        • SaltSong@startrek.website
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          5 days ago

          I’m sure that applies for some combination of bow, arrow, and archer. I’ll add it to the list of things 5e has done to irritate me.

    • Empricorn@feddit.nl
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      5 days ago

      “20-30 yards”!? I’m assuming you’re in the US as well, so you should know yards better than that. But I’m not going to quibble over exact distance. He shot a reporter! Not in the midst of defending himself. He was standing, then raised his rifle, aimed, and deliberately fired on an uninvolved member of the media obviously covering the situation with a microphone. THAT’S the issue.