Monday, October 26, 2009

on being modular

When people find out that I'm an amputee and I shoot, many of them immediately think, "Gun leg!" and start imagining ways for me to conceal weaponry on, or in, my prosthesis.

Sadly, there's little chance of that. First of all, since I'm petite and a below the knee amputee, that leaves very little room for any additions. Secondly, medical insurance pays for the absolute bare minimum. A foot that is high heel compatible isn't even part of the basic package, so I can't imagine the cost of having someone engineer a built-in pistol. I suppose I'll just have to carry my gun on my belt like everyone else and, hey! Flat shoes are better for quick getaways anyhow, right?

Of course, this isn't to say that such a thing isn't possible, as evidenced by this lady's above the knee, handmade wooden prosthetic, complete with black powder pistol and high heel boot. It couldn't have been the most comfortable thing to walk on, but the girl sure got points for style.

10 comments:

aaron said...

I bet *she* had one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Hall

Been a hero of mine since Ft. Huachuca.

Anonymous said...

Dontcha love insurance companies?
Actually, I'm pretty happy with mine. They've paid for a quarter-million in surgeries, I kept the leg, & they just approved an orthotic shoe for me. Not much room to complain.

Mad Saint Jack said...

"At the San Diego Comic Con recently, Lacey Henderson got a fabulous reception from the assembled geeks for her portrayal of Cherry Darling with the machine gun leg from Grindhouse."

http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/06/cherry-darling/

Murphy's Law said...

When I got my first store-bought leg a few years ago, my first thought was also how to find a way to conceal a pistol in it.

Alas, it's not physically possible. Very sad.

Rick R. said...

As a teenager (1986 or so) I worked with a young lady whose husband had lost a leg above the knee in a "drunk driver vs. motorcycle" accident. He managed to get a compartment for a .380 auto built into the leg.

BUT he got a mondo insurance settlement for the accident, which is what paid for it.

He never used it after realizing he couldn't GET to the gun unless he was in shorts, and teh panel was clearly visible and obvious then. (Plus the koys of fishing it out in a hurry.) In his words, "An ankle rig velcroed on that leg would have made more sense. But a 1911 under my shirt makes more."

I don't know how many thousands of dollars down the tubes on that. . .

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

i still love that boot.

Anonymous said...

Breda, call the crew at CavArms and ask them nicely. They have some VERY talented engineers there and would be falling over one another to out-do the other engineers.

An opportunity for an engineer at a gun company to build a leg for a good looking woman? Your hubby will be so jealous.

Chris H. in Phoenix said...

I get that all the time too! BK amputee but now the focus has shifted to how do I conceal a good bottle opener and corkscrew in the mechanism? Prioritys I guess has taken over my brain. Besides, I'd rather carry on the waist anyway. Didn't even think about the accessability part of it if I'm wearing pants. Not really interested in dropping trou just to get at my "piece"..... :)
Take care, from the AZ desert.

Steve Skubinna said...

You're not thinking right. Don't piddle around hiding a weapon in the prosthesis - figure out how to make the prosthesis a weapon! I'm thinking maybe a multi-barrelled shotgun with a laser. The foot would have to hinge out of the way, and it'd be good if the joint would unlock to train forward...

Or maybe the barrels and laser would spring upwards and out...

Think of Inspector Gadget. Ask yourself, "What Would Gadget Do?"

WWGD

Cybrludite said...

I'm reminded of one of the "Gun Crazy" movies from Japan. "The Woman From Nowhere" I think was the one in question. I'm not going to spoil just what she had hidden in the prosthetic on the off chance someone manages to find this piece of... cinematic greatness..., but I will say that I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.