It's time to talk about the starting pistol - can we stop using a symbol of violence to start our races?

I agree...and restaurants should stop putting knives on the tables, millions of people have been killed by knives.

"I'm a wiener, please don't offend me."

I agree that a starting pistol is wholly inappropriate for this day and age of America. A starting automatic assault rifle is much more fitting with today's American culture.

imagine being this soft.

How many people have died from starter pistols?

Didn't Alec Baldwin kill someone with a start pistol?

It offends me when people down arrow a phone number from AC/DC Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Was it you? It couldn't have been Greg he's too busy leaving boring videos on YouTube.

Toughen up butter cup. Cripes. The sad Pussification of America.

Several. It happens. Some soap opera star for one. I used mine to shoot at a guy who owed me money. He got powder burns on his polo shirt. He almost killed me.

I'm going to report you to the mods if you don't stop

Jon-Erik Hexum

I race directed a 5k that used a park near a pretty rough part of town as their course. The police actually asked us to not use a starter's pistol because they would end up getting shots fired calls if we did.

I LEAD A LIFE OF CRIIIIMMMMME

The real question is whether anyone has been garrotted by the finishing tape.

No. It was an actual weapon that had been wrongly loaded with a bullet and not blanks.

Good discussion. I agree with everything that has been said so far.

I was at an XC meet where the cops came because of the starting pistol. No reason to start races with a gun other that “that’s the way we’ve always done it.

A starting pistol has a closed barrel. It is not the same thing as an actual gun or a prop gun.

As long as timing is electronic, there’s no need for a gun. An app? Seriously … the idea. The “starter” could be anything.