U.K. "Illusionist criticised for 'deplorable' television gun stunt"

[cuchulainn]

from The Scotsman

http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/uk.cfm?id=1105462003

Illusionist criticised for 'deplorable' television gun stunt

GREIG CAMERON

THE illusionist Derren Brown was branded tasteless and irresponsible for playing Russian roulette on television last night.

A hand-picked volunteer loaded a revolver with one bullet before handing it over to Brown. The entertainer asked the volunteer to count from one to six. Viewers then saw Brown point the gun at his head and pull the trigger of a Smith and Wesson four times before correctly electing the fifth chamber as containing a live round.

He claimed that using "sophisticated psychological techniques" he was able to tell from the voice which chamber contained the bullet.

The performance, shown on Channel 4 "as live", with a short time delay in case of tragedy, has been roundly criticised by senior police officers and campaign groups. It comes in a week when gun crime has gripped the nation leaving two people dead and several others injured in a series of street shootings.

The Conservative councillor for Dunblane East, Ann Dickson, said: "It’s not just to do with where I live, but I think it is deplorable. I cannot believe that a television company would transmit that.

"Most people I know will not watch, as there is no entertainment in it. It’s difficult to know if children will copy him, but I would hope not."

Philip Hodson, a spokesman for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, said: "It has made even more of a fetish of guns than we first feared. The gun was seen to be almost lovingly caressed and all the drama centred on it."

Gun enthusiasts were also quick to criticise the programme. Alan Phillips, the secretary of the UK Practical Shooting Association, said: "It has got no relevancy to sport shooting at all; it is just entertainment. We run training courses in gun safety and one of the things we always say is never point a gun at anything you are not willing to shoot."

Channel 4 defended its decision to broadcast the show. A spokesman said: "We are not glamorising guns in any way. The message of the programme is about how scary and terrifying guns are and the quest to avoid a violent result.

"We have been in dialogue with anti-gun groups, like Mothers Against Guns, and we are mindful of their views.

"The strict gun-control laws in this country mean that nobody should have access to a handgun, however, if an individual did get a hold of a firearm that would be of far greater concern than Derren."

The show was filmed at a secret location outside the UK to make sure gun rules were not broken.

Brown, 32, abandoned a career in law to pursue his brand of psychological magic.
©2003 Scotsman.com

 

[Mr. Bombastic]

I only hoped he would guess the wrong chamber. Pity he didn't.

 

[Mark Tyson]

Why do people continue to demonize guns for the stupid things people do?

 

[Mr. Bombastic]

They're fed the information by the government and media. The people follow like sheep, even though most don't realise they've been brainwashed to fear inanimate chunks of metal.

 

[gun-fucious]

prolly not to hard to make a trick revolver
that backwinds the fake round 4 stops
when the action is closed

 

[Keith]

You don't need a trick revolver.

The best magic is done with the simplest methods. And in this case, doubtless some confederate could see the front of the cylinder at some point and was able to signal which one contained the cartridge.

Keith

 

[Cosmoline]

It could be done with a real revolver

by a professional magician. I wouldn't risk it, but there are many options.

--Get a glance at the front, so you can either see the bullet or confirm the cartridge is at "6" or "12"

--Get a glance down the side or from above to spot the rim

--Have an assistant set the loaded chamber at a pre-set place while handing it to the magician.

--FEEL along the side as the chambers roll by for the rim. My bet is this is what he did.

Anyone know what kind of revolver they used? The UK press is horribly inept as usual, calling empty chambers "blanks" and never getting more specific than "gun."

 

[SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI]

Philip Hodson, a spokesman for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, said: "It has made even more of a fetish of guns than we first feared. The gun was seen to be almost lovingly caressed and all the drama centred on it."

...Where's a 16 ton weight when you need it?

 

[Standing Wolf]

...gun crime has gripped the nation leaving two people dead and several others injured in a series of street shootings.

Baloney! British subjects can't legally own guns, so there's no gun crime there. It's a lie, I tell you, a gosh-darned, dirty, rotten, no good, mean-spirited lie!

 

[Nightfall]

"We are not glamorising guns in any way. The message of the programme is about how scary and terrifying guns are {} and the quest to avoid a violent result."

Showing a man playing Russian roulette with a loaded revolver is part of the quest to avoid a violent result? Riiiiiight...