The bolt gun symbol in no country for old men is the gun that Anton Chigurh uses.
A bolt gun is a device used for stunning animals prior to slaughter.
The goal of captive bolt stunning is to cause unconsciousness by hitting the forehead with the bolt.The bolt may or may not destroy part of the brain, but brain tissue is always destroyed with the penetrating bolt gun.
The bolt is made of a heavy rod.The barrel of the stunner has rubber washers on it.In good condition, the bolt is usually not visible.The bolt can be actuated by atrigger pull, compressed air, a spring mechanism, or by the discharge of a blank round.After striking a blow on the animal's head, spring tension causes the bolt to recoil back into the barrel.
The captive bolt pistol was invented in 1903 by Hugo Heiss.[2]
There are three types of captive bolt pistols: penetrating, non-penetrating, and free bolt.In order to minimize the risk of transmission of disease, the use of penetrating captive bolts has largely been discontinued.There is a citation needed.
The stunner uses a pointed bolt which is propelled by a spring mechanism.The bolt enters the animal's skull, damaging the cerebrum and part of the cerebellum.An increase in intracranial pressure and the destruction of vital centers of the brain are caused by concussion.This method is currently the most effective type of stunning since it physically destroys brain matter and leaves the brain stem intact.One disadvantage of this method is that brain matter is allowed to enter the blood stream.[4]
The bolt is blunt with a mushroom-shaped tip, which is similar to the action of a non-penetrating stunner.The bolt strikes the forehead with great force.The unconsciousness of the animal is caused by the concussion.This type of stunner is less reliable at causing unconsciousness than penetrating types; however, it has undergone a resurgence of popularity because of concerns about mad cow disease.In the European Union, captive bolt design is required for slaughter of animals that will be used for pharmaceutical manufacture.[5]