Most Dangerous Guns In The World

Since the first recorded use of a gun in 1364, firearms have become vital tools in countries the world over (via PBS). Indeed, some countries' very existence has been decided by the use of firearms. 

Among these countries is the United States, whose sharpshooters fought for independence during the American Revolutionary War (via American Heroes Channel). Almost two centuries later, Chairman Mao — a very different kind of revolutionary – would write, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" (via Problems of War and Strategy).

In the 21st century, guns are available in all shapes and sizes, from the antique Kolibri, which can fit in the palm of your hand, to the immense Barrett M107A1 .50 caliber sniper rifle, which is 4 feet, 9 inches long — an inch taller than Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.

Perhaps it's obvious which of these guns is likely to cause more damage. But what are the most dangerous guns in the world? Which guns have killed the most people, and which guns are capable of inflicting the most damage? Here are the most dangerous guns in the world.

The Colt AR-15 has gained notoriety because of its use in the mass shootings at Sandy Hook, Sutherland Springs and Stoneman Douglas High School, among others (via Politifact).

Some observers have noted that pistols are used far more often than rifles in lethal shootings, and that is correct (via Statista). However, the magazine size and muzzle velocity of AR-15s causes them to be particularly devastating, according to trauma surgeon Dr. Ernest Moore. Writing for NBC, Moore argues that the AR-15 was "Made for the military, to allow members of the armed forces to better dispatch multiple enemies in short order." Moore specifies that 9 mm handgun rounds travel at 1,200 feet per second and generate 400 foot pounds of kinetic energy. However, the AR-15's 5.56-mm round covers 3,251 feet per second, producing 1,300 foot-pounds.

Dr. Peter Rhee, the surgeon who saved Gabby Giffords' life, has explained the AR-15's power in more metaphorical terms, telling Rolling Stone that a handgun wound is like "a stabbing with a bullet" that "goes in like a nail," while a round from an AR-15 is "as if you shot somebody with a Coke can."

The AR-15's performance, cultural significance and customizability have caused it to be a sales phenomenon. According to Rolling Stone, in 2018, almost one in five guns sold in the United States was an AR-15.

Designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947, the Avtomat Kalashnikova model 47, better known as the AK-47, was the world's first standard issue assault rifle (via National Interest). Since then, the AK-47 has arguably become the most infamous gun in the world, with Control Arms dubbing it, "the world's favourite killing machine."

From the Soviet Union to the Taliban, seemingly every nation and armed group has used the AK-47. And American citizens like the gun too. In 2012, the New York Times reported that the Izhevsk Machine Works in Russia was selling record numbers of Saiga model AK-47s to the American market.

In 2006, a year shy of the rifle's 60th anniversary, Control Arms released a damning report on the AK-47, stating that "The proliferation of Kalashnikovs has resulted in such deadly weapons being used to massacre, maim, rape and abuse, torture, and fuel violent crime." The report specified that this deadly weapon has affected a diverse range of countries, from Britain and the United States to Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexico, and Venezuela. It speculated that the AK-47's widespread presence would continue for decades to come, which has been proven true. In the years since, groups including ISIS sympathizers have used AK-47s to maim, kill, and promote their cause (via Tampa Bay Times).

The reasons for the AK-47's success are simple. It is cheap, numerous, and effective. It fires a high-velocity 7.62 x 39 mm round, and has minimal components that are resilient to the elements. Indeed, the AK-47 is so hardy that the lifespan is anywhere between 20 and 40 years (via The Conversation).

With a gun this old and numerous, it is impossible to fully quantify just how deadly it is.

Taurus is a Brazilian gun maker that has enjoyed strong sales in the U.S. market, where it is seen as a budget option (via Gun Accident Journal). According to The Motley Fool, from January to September 2020, Taurus achieved record production numbers at its facility in Georgia.

However, a few years earlier, in 2017, Taurus was forced to recall one million of its pistols due to a spate of accidents. For example, in 2015, an 11-year-old boy was killed when his father's Taurus PT 609 pistol discharged without a trigger pull. A year later, a 28-year-old man tore his femoral artery when his holstered Taurus PT-145 Millennium Pro pistol fired without pulling the trigger. Tragically, his parents watched him bleed death.

Further, in 2009, a Taurus PT-140 pistol with the safety turned on fired when the owner dropped it, sending a bullet through her leg, colon, intestines, and liver. She survived, but endured months of invasive medical issues.

The class action lawsuit that led to the recall involved offers of inspection, repair, and a $30 million reimbursement, yet by January 2021, only 20,000 guns had been returned, and just $200,000 issued. That means that the United States is likely still flooded with hundreds of thousands of potentially faulty Taurus handguns that could cause further harm.

The AR-15 rifle fires a 5.56 mm round, which is a widespread and deadly piece of ammunition. However, most states disallow the round for use in hunting, as it cannot adequately kill big game. Also, 5.56 mm cannot get through engine blocks, which are typically made of cast iron or aluminum alloy (via National Interest & Science Direct).

Enter the AR-500, a heavily modified AR-15 that manufacturer Big Horn Armory claims can down "any dangerous game animal on Earth" and disable "any vehicle." National Interest says that it "might just be the most powerful rifle on the planet."

Whereas the AR-15 is an all-rounder with wide appeal, the AR-500 is very much a niche weapon. It fires the hefty Smith & Wesson .500 rounds that can be packed into 9-round magazines, which could inflict serious damage on targets. The stats make for alarming reading. The aforementioned Smith & Wesson .500 revolver can generate 3,050 foot-pounds of energy, while the AR-500 delivers up to 3,230 with semi-automatic rates of fire (via American Rifleman).

The M134 Minigun is a devastating firearm, but Metal Storm is apocalyptic. The prototype weapon can fire 16,000 rounds per second, which is a staggering 1,000,000 rounds per minute (via We Are The Mighty). 

This almost science fiction weapon was the product of Metal Storm Limited, a now defunct company that was based in Queensland, Australia (via Bloomberg).The company released a video demonstrating the various rates of fire at which Metal Storm can fire, starting with 600 rounds per minute, roughly 150 more than the MG08 of World War I. The troops of Flanders Field could have recognised that sound, but they would have been confused by the sound of 180 rounds being fired at 1,000,000 rounds per minute. Metal Storm releases bullets like an enormous shotgun blast, their quantity is imperceptible to the human eye. What is very much perceptible, however, is the impact on their target, which is completely blown away.

As epic as Metal Storm may be, it has never been procured by a nation's military. The U.S. Navy expressed interested in 2007, but the deal didn't come to fruition (via Business Insider). This has been attributed to vague contractual issues, but there is also the immense cost of the weapon, which can fire 24,000 9 mm rounds at five times the speed of sound.

Of all the major firepower on this list, it is the everyday handgun that poses the greatest gun-related threat to most civilians. In the United States, handguns are responsible for most shooting deaths (via CNN).

In 2020, rifles and shotguns were used in 455 and 203 murders, respectively. Handguns, meanwhile, were used in 8,029 murders (via Statista). Unidentified firearms were used to murder a further 4,863 Americans.

However, stating pistol homicides is only part of the problem, as 60% of gun deaths are suicides. A 2020 study found that when an individual bought their first handgun, they became almost four times more likely to die by suicide (via WebMD). This aligned with a report from the 1980s, which found that handguns were used in 69% of suicides in Sacramento County, California (via AJPH).

Handguns are also rife in the criminal world. Since 2013, Chicago police have collected over 7,000 illegal street guns per year, and approximately 90% of these were handguns (via AP). These guns fuel Chicago's surge in gun homicides, which saw a 56% increase in 2020 alone (via ABC7).

Accidental firearm deaths involving children are another pressing concern. During the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of children discharging fatal rounds in the home surged by 31%. By August 31, 2021, 104 children had been killed in these tragic incidents (via NPR). One such case occurred in Florida on August 13, 2021. Shamaya Lynn, 21, died when her toddler found a loaded handgun and shot Lynn while she was on a Zoom call (via NBC). Months before that, in February 2021, another young mother was killed when her children found a semiautomatic handgun in her purse, which also injured her youngest child (via NBC).