Laser Guns are for Losers

Yeah, you heard me. Whatcha gonna do about it, huh? Just kidding. Please don't hurt me.

But seriously... I want to qualify a few things first. My only real knowledge about laser guns comes from movies and books. I adore the Star Wars universe and own all the movies, most of the books, and several of the video games. I thoroughly enjoy logging onto KotOR (1 or 2) and kicking some butt, and I've had my eye on SW:TOR, though I really do not need another game to sink my time and money into in lieu of everything else.

There is something exciting about sci-fi worlds that draw you in and make you want more. I mean, Han Solo with a laser gun? Yum! But when you start to think about it, does it really work? Pew, pew! Stormtroopers are flying everywhere with smoking holes in their chests! It looks cool, for sure, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Lasers are hot. They cauterize immediately. So why would humans (beings who seem to really like violence) advance their technology in a way that would cause less damage and death?

I think what will really happen is bullets and guns as they are today will continue to evolve. Bullets do a lot of damage if used right. They rip through organs and bounce around and stuff. That extra movement, movement you don't get from a laser gun, is what really causes the most chaos. Bullets have already advanced quite a bit. There are incendiary rounds, armor-piercing bullets, and all sorts of other cool things. I can easily see bullets that contain blades that snap out once they've entered a target, or self-propelled tracker bullets.

So, what do you think? Does the history of violence lay in laser guns? Or do you have another idea?