Mankind's relationship with the gun is, well, a little creepy at times. It's not even an American/Second Amendment thing, either -- for centuries inventors have been trying to cram bullet-firing capabilities into every gadget they could think of, practicality be damned.
This "who cares if it works, it'll be cool as hell!" approach to gunsmithing has given us such delights as ...
6
Lord Horatio Nelson's Gunblade
Caters via thetimes.co.uk
What, you thought a "gunsword" was just a particularly ridiculous weapon sketched out by the Final Fantasy design team under the pressure of a looming deadline? That up there belonged to British admiral and all-around badass Lord Horatio Nelson, who was responsible for leading his nation to some of the most decisive naval victories in British history. In 2012, bidders lined up to purchase the very weapon used by Nelson to shoot-stab enemy combatants during the Battle of Trafalgar -- his last-ever engagement.
Lemuel Francis Abbott
Spoiler: The French lost. Nelson kicked butt.
Developed by weaponsmith H.W. Mortimer, the sword-pistol features a 25-inch blade with an attached tap action flintlock mechanism. Imagine Lord Nelson squaring off in a duel with a Spanish marauder, each man posing with his blade, before Nelson just pulls an Indiana Jones and shoots his ass.
Caters via lebanontimes.com
We have no evidence that actually happened, but how could it not?
In 1805 -- and despite his ridiculous weapon -- Nelson was incapacitated by a bullet that entered through his shoulder and passed through his spine. He died several hours later, and his fancy gun-sword was relinquished to Sir Thomas Hardy, the captain of Nelson's flagship, the HMS Victory. History does not record whether or not he was ever able to behead someone and then shoot the severed head between the eyes as it flew through the air, but let's assume he was.
Caters via lebanontimes.com
And that person left the mortal realm knowing they had died the most awesome death possible.
320 Comments