Russia is the only nation to send guns into space with its cosmonauts. Why? Read on!

If you’ve watched enough science fiction, taking guns into space might seem like an awful idea to you. Luckily, guns aren’t yet used in space. The Russians, however, keep some stowed away. They’re actually the only astronauts to do so. Cosmonauts regularly carry handguns aboard their Soyuz spacecraft for good reason. 

Recently, an off course landing took place in Russia. It’s for this exact reason that for decades the standard Russian “off course landing” survival pack has included a gun, and a sophisticated one at that. The gun has three barrels and a folding stock that doubles as a shovel. It uses three types of ammunition- rifle bullets, shotgun shells, and flares. There’s even a swing-out machete included. 

Why all of the fuss? Bears. If the cosmonauts were to land far off course somewhere in the wilderness, they would be pretty defenseless against animal threats. So to combat potential bear attacks, that Swiss Army Knife of a gun is included in every survival pack. 

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