zip guns
Homemade crude pistols
A zip gun is a crude, homemade firearm, typically constructed from household materials like pipes, rubber bands, and wooden handles.
Popular among urban gangs in mid-20th-century America, zip guns were cheap and disposable but unreliable and dangerous to the user.
The name suggests the improvised, slapped-together nature of the weapon.
Prepared at one's residence
- jury-riggedTemporarily fixed with scraps
- DIYAmateur home projects
- cobbledSurfaced with rounded stones
- makeshiftTemporary, improvised substitute
crude · handcrafted · assembled · tinkered · kludged · patchwork · MacGyvered · resourceful
Organized criminal groups
- delinquencyCriminal or neglectful behavior
- streetPublic urban roadway
- turfGrass-covered earth surface
- 1950sDecade after WWII
urban · juvenile · switchblade · rumble · greaser · hood · back-alley
Hooped cylindrical vessel
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- triggerWhat initiates action
- muzzleAnimal's nose area
- cartridgeSealed container for supplies
ammunition · caliber · projectile · discharge · casing · primer
Causing or capable of death
- deadlyAble to cause expiration
- hazardousLikely to cause injury
- unsafeLikely to cause harm
- riskyInvolving possible harm
unpredictable · malfunction · misfire · backfire · explode · unreliable · unstable · inaccurate
Prohibited trade goods
- unlawfulForbidden by statute
- prohibitedOfficially not permitted
- felonySerious criminal offense
- illicitProhibited by law
criminal · outlawed · banned · unlicensed · black-market · underground · clandestine · possession
homemade
Prepared at one's residence
- jury-riggedTemporarily fixed with scraps
- DIYAmateur home projects
- cobbledSurfaced with rounded stones
makeshift · crude · handcrafted · assembled · tinkered · kludged · patchwork · MacGyvered · resourceful · contraption
gangs
Organized criminal groups
- delinquencyCriminal or neglectful behavior
- streetPublic urban roadway
- turfGrass-covered earth surface
1950s · urban · juvenile · switchblade · rumble · greaser · hood · back-alley
barrel
Hooped cylindrical vessel
cartridge · ammunition · caliber · projectile · discharge · casing · primer
lethal
Causing or capable of death
risky · unpredictable · malfunction · misfire · backfire · explode · unreliable · unstable · inaccurate · injury
contraband
Prohibited trade goods
- unlawfulForbidden by statute
- prohibitedOfficially not permitted
- felonySerious criminal offense
illicit · criminal · outlawed · banned · unlicensed · black-market · underground · clandestine · possession · trafficking