TCD
The whole "pinhole in the fuselage will cause explosive decompression" thing is a big, fat LIE. Why?
First of all, all airliners are required to be available for use by the military in the event of a war. As such, they are constructed to be more rugged than would ordinarily be necessary, i.e. similar to military cargo jets or B-52s. How many times have you seen films of our planes, full of holes from stuff a lot bigger than 9 mm, yet landing safely? It has happened hundreds of times, if not more.
Second, all civilian airliners already have a hole in them. My dad has an old Navy buddy that he's close with, and this guy flew 737s and 767s for 30 years with UAL. I asked him about this, and he said that each plane has a hole in it to regulate air pressure. It is opened to admit outside air, and closed to (mostly) seal the aircraft. The hole is about a foot in diameter (i.e. approximately 300 mm).
The myth of explosive decompression exists for 2 reasons: first, it makes for a great scene in the movies. Second, it serves the purposes of the anti-gun movement - it is yet another place where guns can be forbidden, for our own good, don't you know.
Myth Busters is a great show - it demonstrates how ignorant most people are. Ignorance is no crime - it just means that you haven't learned something. The folks that I get ticked off at are those who know the facts and still cling to the myths, usually for political reasons.
