I’ve never shot a gun before — and it’s not an activity I’d actively seek out, given the grim implications of trivializing an act of violence by transforming it into recreation.
Yet it’s never been easier to fire a weapon. Now, in fact, it doesn’t even require you to get off your couch. A just-launched website called Shov allows users to “shoot guns on the internet” by remotely-controlling a weapon right inside their web browser. The pneumatic weapons fire .68 caliber hardened rubber “less lethal” munitions, which have killed dozens and wounded thousands worldwide when they’ve been deployed by police.
The project is provocative, launching as remotely-operated weapons becomes a common sight on real-world battlefields. Back in 2021, Israel used a similar remote-control gun to assassinate a top Iranian nuclear scientist. In Ukraine, militaries on both sides have used explosives-laden drones as weapons, and even reportedly taken the concept to its natural conclusion by allowing AI-powered autonomous weapons to identify and strike targets without human intervention.
While Shov certainly isn’t recreating the intricate horrors of modern warfare, the very proposition — allowing anybody to assume control over a “gun” turret that could easily be outfitted with a deadly assault rifle — feels laden with dark baggage.
