No, firing a gun will likely not make you fall down as the force created by firing the gun pushes the momentum to the bullet and through the barrel of the gun while you as the person firing will only get the kick, also known as recoil. The recoil is distributed across your mass and although it may be strong with long guns like a rifle, your body and stance will absorb the brunt of it helping you to stay on your feet.
The rumor that shooting a gun will knock someone down or backwards came from the dramatic flair in Hollywood movies combined with a term called “knockback” from popular video games. Knockback is when a character gets knocked backwards, normally by being pushed or hit, and in a dramatic way.
Desperado from 1995 is a perfect example. The actors in the car scene act in dramatic movements and “interesting stances” with the guitar case rocket launcher and you see their targets go flying “knockback.”
In order for someone to get knocked down by firing a gun, the recoil would have to create enough force to knock the person off balance. Once off balance, the person may fall. However a proper stance while firing the gun helps you maintain control of your position and reduces the chance of you getting knocked backwards.
What Determines if You’ll Fall Down
The factors at play that determine if you will or will not fall down include your:
- Height
- Weight
- Athletic ability and body’s ability to balance
- Stance
- Firearm and any accessories to reduce recoil
- Direction you’re firing (assuming you are not always firing directly ahead)
- The surface you are standing on and if it is slippery or not
- Medical conditions that cause mobility disorders
Fun fact: The world record for balancing on one foot is 76 hours and 40 minutes.
To make our point as to why firing a gun won’t push you off balance and make you fall down, let’s look at the amount of force it would take.
The Force Required for Firing a Gun to Knock Someone Down
According to the Cleveland Clinic the average US adult male is 5’9” and according to the CDC it is 5’7”, so we’ll go with 5’8”. Adult females in the US according to the CDC are 5’3” and 5’3.5” according to the CDC on this page as well as the first one and here on a medically reviewed article on Very Well Health. US men weigh 199.8lbs on average and women at 170.8lbs.
Knowing this, here are some comparisons on how much force it would take to move an average human. Wind for example will need to be roughly 70mph to move an average person according to this calculation on stack exchange, which is backed up by this calculation at 67mph from WTAJ’s weather center in Pennsylvania. The clothing you’re wearing and other factors will have an impact, but these are on average. These speeds are roughly the same as a weaker tornado. The chances of a recoil being this strong are highly unlikely.
Another stack exchange conversation calculates that it will take 514.5 Newton (115.66 pound-force) to knock a person at 154lbs with their feet separated at 2.9 feet. If you’re curious how this stacks up against some of the most powerful rifles and firearms, Backfire.TV created this helpful chart showing the recoil levels.
The BMG .50 comes in at 83.7 which is going to have a strong kick, but likely not enough to knock someone down if they have a proper stance and are firing the gun properly.
As you can see, firearms likely do not have enough force or power in their recoil to knock a person over by just firing them. This is a myth started by Hollywood for dramatic effect in movies and TV.
