Forum Discussion: How to Get the Piercing Gun Banned
Sunday July 6, 2008
"I am a piercing and tattoo enthusiast and I want to see the piercing gun banned even on ear lobes. I agree with whoever said that it is sad that we see laws trying to ban body modification, bur we see NOTHING banning an unsafe procedure on infants. I was wondering what the best way to go about getting the gun banned would be and if it would be acceptable to get professional artists involved? If I do get professionals involved, what would be the best way to approach them about this?" -woodwind99
If you'd like to join in on this effort to get the gun banned, join this discussion on the message board now!
Comments
I only agree with the part about forcing piercing on children– the piercing gun maybe not be perfect or idea for everyone but it is a safer and more sanitary practice than what people /could/ be using being that not everyone can afford to pay a professional to pierce their ears. You should work harder to ban particular uses of the piercing gun (such as setting an age minimum or not to be used on cartledge) rather than trying to outlaw it completely!
I don’t think anyone who can’t make an informed decision about ear piercing should have pierced ears! I have 13 holes in my ears, each having been done with a gun, with no problems whatsoever. I also have my nose pierced, which was done with a needle. My piercer is fantastic and I understand the need to do this kind of piercing with a needle, but the gun was much less traumatic in a psychological sense. It’s so fast, hole pierced and earring in all at once. Just my two cents………..
I would like to still see piecing gun used only on ears and also maybe doing nipples on
people piecing if you can use only for that and some things .
The push to ban piercing guns has no basis in public safety. The correct way to get piercing guns banned would be to have a formal study conducted by an independent group, but that would also be the way to ban body piercing needles!
Using the appropriate methodology it would be far easier to scientifically prove that piercers who use body piercing needles put the piercer and public at a far greater risk for needle stick injury and the transmission of bloodborne pathogens.
Piercing guns (to be used on earlobes only) do hurt more than piercing needles, and typically the gun itself can not be sterilized (but can be sanitized), and that has not posed any demonstrated risk to the public, but if it did the department of health would have no problem banning guns (or body piercing needles)!
By banning piercing guns (and/or body piercing needles) we would be curtailing future improvements to technology that could result in autoclaveable ear piercing guns, and/or forceps (erroneously called “clamps” by many piercing professionals) that have a mini sharps container in place of a cork so the emerging needle would go directly into the sharps container without a need to be handled after insertion.
The phrase that ear piercing guns are inappropriate for piercing anything including ear lobes (also touted by the APP without sound reason) can be traced back as far as the Gauntlet piercer training manual (1995), but without sound scientific facts as supporting evidence, and no qualifying study the mandate comes off as nothing more than the new wave of piercers trying to discredit established methodology for personal financial gain.
If the zombie segment of the body piercing community is correct about piercing guns being obsolete torture devices unsuited for any use, then where are the angry clients with tortured, infected and mutilated ear lobes?
I’ve been arguing people under that table on this topic for about five years, who’s next?
A question for Karen Hudson: elsewhere you stated that your daughter had a bad ear piercing gun experience but you failed to explain what happened and why you assume that the piercer was at fault. From my own research of many local studios the truth is that many if not most body piercers learn “on the job” or practicing on friends. Since you don’t seem aware of why someone would want to practice on a teddy bear it is so they can learn proper procedure and placement without practicing on customers- which is EXACTLY how almost all body piercers learn. There are practice body parts for piercers made out of flexible foam but they only came on the market about two years ago. Please cite any independently conducted study that supports your claims that ear piercing guns are unsafe for the general public as I’ve been looking for unbiased information to support these unsubstantiated claims for over five years.