Pistol whip - Definition and Overview

To pistol whip someone means to hit someone on the head with a gun (typically a handgun), usually to either knock them unconscious and/or cause them pain. It is a well known cliché in American popular culture and in particular film noir. It was prominently featured in the film Equilibrium as a component of the fictional martial art of Gun Kata.

Contrary to fictional portayals, there is no clear boundary between the force needed to render someone unconscious and the force needed to kill them, and all such blows to the head must be regarded as potentially fatal.

See also

• Traumatic brain injury