Should Indirect fire weapons be allowed?

[MoviePropMaster2008]

I mean having their own individual gun pages.

I am tempted to remove all IN direct fire items. They can be on the movie/tv page, but I tend to want to discourage people from adding too many items to the GUN pages.

This includes mortars, artillery, aerial bombs, cruise missiles, air burst munitions, Battle ship main guns, etc.

We do have gun platform sections within existing movie/tv pages. That allows us to list the guns on tanks, helicopters, boats, etc.

Input is welcome. Please note that I have updated the RULES section to reflect this. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

[Jcordell]

I can see removing the indirect fire weapons and most crew served weapons. I can think of one possible exception though.

The old cannons (Napoleans, Parrot guns ect.) from the 19th century were frequently used as direct fire weapons and more than once those cannons were operated by one or two individuals during a battle when there was no choice since everyone else was dead or injured. You could make the case that those should be one of the items to recieve an exception.

But I understand that the site is in danger of being overwhelmed with many too many pages so it's time to tighten things up.

By the way I was the person who changed the format on the High-Standard shotgun page. I did that probably seven or eight months ago before it had become an issue. I've gone back and corrected other pages that I did that to recently, but I hand't gotten around to the High-Standard page as of yet. Just thought I would step up. So peace and cease fire.

[MT2008]

Although we call ourselves Internet Movie Firearms Database, I have generally thought of "firearms" as encompassing small arms.

Mortars are small enough and portable enough that they essentially qualify as small arms. I feel the same way about weapons like recoilless rifles and compact missile systems. Anything bigger, I don't think should have its own page, but I admit it's a gray area. For example, I am fine with the BGM-71 TOW having its own page (which it does), but I wouldn't feel the same way about the AGM-114 Hellfire. I can't really articulate why, since they're both anti-tank missiles. I guess it's because the TOW is primarily a surface-to-surface weapon that is often fitted to Humvees (though it does have air-to-surface variations), while the Hellfire is air-to-surface only and is meant to be fired from gunships.

Maybe I should put it this way: If the weapon is something that is too big or too complex to be carried and operated by platoon-sized units of infantry or cav, it probably doesn't deserve its own page on IMFDB.

[Excalibur]

So RPGs and other types of rocket and missile launchers do count?

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by Excalibur

So RPGs and other types of rocket and missile launchers do count?

Those would be "direct fire" weapons, so of course they count. MPM is talking about weapons that intended to cause (mostly) indiscriminate damage to large areas.

[Phoenixent]

So are we talking about 60mm and 81mm Mortars? In the military a Small arm in any weapon that is less than 20mm. Do we really have a page issue on this site? How much space are you going to make removing grenades and mortars? Again I am bringing up the fact of games if we are shy of space. After all this in Internet Movie Firearms Data Base we should than limit the site to Live Action Movie and Television.

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

Originally Posted by MT2008

Although we call ourselves Internet Movie Firearms Database, I have generally thought of "firearms" as encompassing small arms.

Mortars are small enough and portable enough that they essentially qualify as small arms. I feel the same way about weapons like recoilless rifles and compact missile systems. Anything bigger, I don't think should have its own page, but I admit it's a gray area. For example, I am fine with the BGM-71 TOW having its own page (which it does), but I wouldn't feel the same way about the AGM-114 Hellfire. I can't really articulate why, since they're both anti-tank missiles. I guess it's because the TOW is primarily a surface-to-surface weapon that is often fitted to Humvees (though it does have air-to-surface variations), while the Hellfire is air-to-surface only and is meant to be fired from gunships.

Maybe I should put it this way: If the weapon is something that is too big or too complex to be carried and operated by platoon-sized units of infantry or cav, it probably doesn't deserve its own page on IMFDB.

TOW has a launcher, Hellfire doesn't. If you see a TOW in a film, it may or may not be the real launcher. If you see a Hellfire in a film, it most certainly is not real, it's just the munition.

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by BurtReynoldsMoustache

TOW has a launcher, Hellfire doesn't. If you see a TOW in a film, it may or may not be the real launcher. If you see a Hellfire in a film, it most certainly is not real, it's just the munition.

Good point. Either way, Hellfires don't belong on this site.