Side grip
Encyclopedia
The side grip is a technique for shooting
a handgun
in which the weapon is rotated about ninety degrees and held horizontally instead of vertically (as is normally done). Shooting a gun in this way has no practical benefit under most circumstances and makes proper aiming very difficult,through can be more accurate if you aline the sight sideways with your eye, but the style has become somewhat popular in rap
culture and among street criminals (who do not often use the gun sight) due to its portrayal in U.S. film and television since the 1990s.
, a character exclaims: "No man shall come around here aiming his gun sideways; endangering the throngs of casual bystanders!"
The side grip found some use with early 20th century submachineguns, such as the Thompson M1 or the M3 "grease gun"
. Because their heavy recoil
made them tend to climb when fired in full automatic mode, soldiers would hold them sideways so that the bullets would spread in a horizontal rather than vertical arc, hitting more targets.
Police officers sometimes use the side grip to shoot while holding a riot shield
with the other hand. Because the shield limits the field of view
, lifting and tilting the gun may make the sights more visible under these circumstances. Some shooters with issues of ocular dominance
will tilt the gun at a 15 to 45 degree angle in order to take advantage of their better eye; the gun held in the left hand and the sights aligned to the right eye, for example.
Although holding a gun sideways makes it hard to control and aim, it does not, as is sometimes believed, make the weapon any more prone to jamming. Because self-loading weapons eject spent casings with a force that is much stronger than gravity, the casing will not normally remain stuck in the chamber even if it is ejected upwards.
s One-Eyed Jacks
(1961) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(1966). The style's cinematic benefit is that it makes it easier to see both the weapon and the actor's face in a tight camera shot.
It was popularized with the 1993 film Menace II Society
, where this technique is shown in the opening scene during a robbery. According to the directors, they witnessed the technique themselves in a 1987 Detroit robbery and used it on film because it struck them as "sloppy, edgy and realistic". Other filmmakers were fast to pick up the gesture, and it soon came to represent "arrogance and cool power" in Hollywood's visual shorthand, being used in a great number of 1990s action and gangster movies including Desperado
, Seven
, The Usual Suspects and Copycat
.
As a result of its portrayal in film and television, the side grip is emulated in segments of popular culture that value coolness and aggressiveness, notably African American gangster and black culture, and has been increasingly used in armed crime. The style has become a cliché
in black culture to such an extent that a 2009 New York
police statement could describe a criminal as flipping his "gun on its side like a character out of a rap video".
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
a handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
in which the weapon is rotated about ninety degrees and held horizontally instead of vertically (as is normally done). Shooting a gun in this way has no practical benefit under most circumstances and makes proper aiming very difficult,through can be more accurate if you aline the sight sideways with your eye, but the style has become somewhat popular in rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
culture and among street criminals (who do not often use the gun sight) due to its portrayal in U.S. film and television since the 1990s.
Shooting
Holding a weapon sideways has long been equated with risky and indiscriminate shooting. For instance, in the 1894 U.S. novel John March, Southerner by George Washington CableGeorge Washington Cable
George Washington Cable was an American novelist notable for the realism of his portrayals of Creole life in his native Louisiana. His fiction has been thought to anticipate that of William Faulkner.- Biography:...
, a character exclaims: "No man shall come around here aiming his gun sideways; endangering the throngs of casual bystanders!"
The side grip found some use with early 20th century submachineguns, such as the Thompson M1 or the M3 "grease gun"
M3 submachine gun
The M3 was an American .45-caliber submachine gun adopted for U.S. Army service on 12 December 1942, as the United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3. The M3 was designed as a more cost-effective alternative to the Thompson, optimized for mass production...
. Because their heavy recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
made them tend to climb when fired in full automatic mode, soldiers would hold them sideways so that the bullets would spread in a horizontal rather than vertical arc, hitting more targets.
Police officers sometimes use the side grip to shoot while holding a riot shield
Riot shield
Riot shields are lightweight protection devices deployed by police and some military organizations. Most are a clear polycarbonate, though some are constructed of light metals with a view hole. Riot shields are almost exclusively long enough to cover an average sized man from the top of the head to...
with the other hand. Because the shield limits the field of view
Field of view
The field of view is the extent of the observable world that is seen at any given moment....
, lifting and tilting the gun may make the sights more visible under these circumstances. Some shooters with issues of ocular dominance
Ocular dominance
Ocular dominance, sometimes called eye dominance or eyedness, is the tendency to prefer visual input from one eye to the other. It is somewhat analogous to the laterality of right or left handedness; however, the side of the dominant eye and the dominant hand do not always match...
will tilt the gun at a 15 to 45 degree angle in order to take advantage of their better eye; the gun held in the left hand and the sights aligned to the right eye, for example.
Although holding a gun sideways makes it hard to control and aim, it does not, as is sometimes believed, make the weapon any more prone to jamming. Because self-loading weapons eject spent casings with a force that is much stronger than gravity, the casing will not normally remain stuck in the chamber even if it is ejected upwards.
Popular culture
The side grip has been portrayed in movies since at least the 1960s, notably in the westernWestern (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
s One-Eyed Jacks
One-Eyed Jacks
One-Eyed Jacks, a 1961 Western, is the only film directed by actor Marlon Brando, who also played its lead character, Rio.The film was originally to be directed by Stanley Kubrick and Sam Peckinpah...
(1961) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles. The screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Leone, based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone...
(1966). The style's cinematic benefit is that it makes it easier to see both the weapon and the actor's face in a tight camera shot.
It was popularized with the 1993 film Menace II Society
Menace II Society
Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
, where this technique is shown in the opening scene during a robbery. According to the directors, they witnessed the technique themselves in a 1987 Detroit robbery and used it on film because it struck them as "sloppy, edgy and realistic". Other filmmakers were fast to pick up the gesture, and it soon came to represent "arrogance and cool power" in Hollywood's visual shorthand, being used in a great number of 1990s action and gangster movies including Desperado
Desperado (film)
Desperado is a 1995 action thriller film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The film stars Antonio Banderas as the former mariachi who seeks revenge on the drug lord who killed his lover....
, Seven
Seven (film)
Seven is a 1995 American thriller film, which also contains horror and neo-noir elements, directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It was distributed by New Line Cinema and stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R...
, The Usual Suspects and Copycat
Copycat (film)
Copycat is an American psychological thriller, starring Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter. The film was directed by Jon Amiel, with a score composed by Christopher Young.-Plot:...
.
As a result of its portrayal in film and television, the side grip is emulated in segments of popular culture that value coolness and aggressiveness, notably African American gangster and black culture, and has been increasingly used in armed crime. The style has become a cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
in black culture to such an extent that a 2009 New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
police statement could describe a criminal as flipping his "gun on its side like a character out of a rap video".