A net gun is a non-lethal weapon designed to fire a net which entangles the target. Net guns have a long history of being used to capture wildlife and stray dogs. A net gun is currently also in development that will be able to subdue humans.

In popular culture

Net guns are becoming increasingly popular in both fiction and non-fiction settings, often seen as an "easy-fix" weapon for capturing a target without causing serious harm to it. One notable example of a net gun is used in the Predator series of films, most notably '' Predator 2'' and ''

Alien vs. Predator ''Alien vs. Predator'' (also known as ''Aliens versus Predator'' and ''AVP'') is a science-fiction action horror media franchise created by comic book writers Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. The series is a crossover between, and part of, th ...

''. This version is somewhat lethal, as it tightens around the target and cuts them like

razor wire Barbed tape or razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans. The term "razor wire", through long usage, has generally been used to describe barbed tape products. Razor wire is much sharper th ...

. Other examples include the films '' Total Recall'', ''

The Running Man Running Man may refer to: Literature * ''The Running Man'', a 1963 novel by Joan Carol Holly under the pseudonym J. Hunter Holly * ''The Running Man'' (novel), a 1982 novel by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman * ''The Running Man' ...

'' and ''

Escape from L.A. ''Escape from L.A.'' (stylized on-screen as ''John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.'') is a 1996 American Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter, co-written and p ...

'', in which a net gun is used to capture the protagonist. The net gun used in the latter two references, as well as ''

I, Robot ''I, Robot'' is a fixup (compilation) novel of science fiction short stories or essays by American writer Isaac Asimov. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines ''Super Science Stories'' and ''Astounding Science Fiction'' betw ...

'' is a real item. In " Birds in a Truck", an episode of the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

television series ''

MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television program, developed by Peter Rees and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast internatio ...

'', Jamie Hyneman constructs a jury-rigged net gun using PVC, an air tank, a fishing net, and some tennis balls in an attempt to capture pigeons. The net gun functioned as planned, but Jamie failed to catch any of the pigeons. A net gun was also seen on the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

television series, ''

Rob and Big ''Rob & Big'' is an American reality television series following the lives of professional skateboarder, actor, and producer Rob Dyrdek and his best friend and bodyguard Christopher "Big Black" Boykin. It premiered on November 4, 2006, and conc ...

'', as a means of non-lethal home protection from unwanted intruders. After one was featured on ''Rob and Big'', internet searches for net guns drastically increased.Google Trends Search Data for 'Netgun'
/ref> The term has lately been adopted for

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

weapons used in imaginary or text-based combat. These fantasy weapons work in the same way as real-world net guns: an explosive charge or compressed air propels a weighted net toward a target. The net envelops the target and immobilizes it.

References

Non-lethal firearms Nets (devices) Paramilitary weapons {{weapon-stub