The work of
Ghost gunner, from the series A Free Man, 2018 © Pauline Niks. J is an employee at Defense Distributed, where he works on producing a Ghost Gunner. Defense Distributed sells lower receivers (the essential part of the gun) that are only 80% finished, so officially they are not defined as a lower receiver in the US. They also make a CNC milling machine called the Ghost Gunner. By using specific codes the Ghost Gunner finishes the remaining 20% of the lower receivers they sell. This way you can make your own unregistered gun in your bedroom.
Police Riot Shield, from the series A Free Man, 2018 © Pauline Niks. On 17 April 2017, Jörg Sprave got hold of a police anti-riot shield to test his most powerful homemade air gun, shooting a steel arrow with 150 times the pressure of a car tire. Officially, the gun is not considered a gun because the projectile goes over the barrel rather than through it. The arrow he fired penetrated a triple-layer archery mat, a car door and then the shield. “That air gun has the energy of a modern hunting rifle and the momentum of an elephant gun.”
Certified type 3 ballistic gelatine, from the series A Free Man, 2018 © Pauline Niks. A shape of certified type 3 ballistic gelatin with a layer of leather represents the human body and is used to see how projectiles are able to penetrate the human body. On 31 July 2018, Jörg dressed this gelatin body with an undershirt, a chainmail and a tunic coat. The arrow he shot from an 8 metre distance easily penetrated the dressed gelatin.