The Piercing Gun Conversation
Piercing Guns
If you don't feel up to the read a picture says a thousand words:
Google cattle tagging gun and google spring loaded ear piercing gun. If you want to know more based on experience read on.
At Cherrycore, we proudly do not offer piercing services using handheld piercing guns or stapler-style systems.
That decision isn't based on opinion, marketing, or trends. It's based on more than two decades of hands-on experience, ongoing education, and seeing the consequences when things don't go to plan.
Over the years, I've lost count of the number of children I've helped with embedded jewellery, poorly fitted studs, or complications following gun piercings. I've also lost count of the chocolates and thank-you cards from relieved parents after we were able to fix problems they never expected to happen in the first place.
Most of those parents weren't negligent. They simply trusted that if a business was offering the service, it must be safe.
Unfortunately, our industry isn't always that simple as its not really regulated by the government but more so by choices and ethics of the business owner. The government gives a ver low environmental criteria and takes a ‘we don’t want to get involved or be help liable' approach to the actual piercing process and jewellery standards. This is what can happen when ritual becomes commercial and when people aren’t hurt enough for reform. Lack of life threatening complications opens the door for lack of ethical and educational standards.
Why This Conversation Matters
Whenever professional piercers discuss piercing guns online, the comments are remarkably predictable.
"Mine were done with a gun and they're fine."
"I pierced all my kids with a gun."
"Nothing bad happened."
None of those statements change the facts.
We're not criticising the decisions people made years ago.
Many of us - including myself - had our own ears and noses pierced with guns as children & teens.
My mother wasn't a bad parent.
She trusted the technician.
Our whole town trusted them.
There were no Google reviews google didn’t exist, mums weren’t going out and buying books on safe kids ear piercings it wasn’t a thing and very few people questioning whether there might be a better way.
At the time, piercing guns seemed logical.
Today we simply know more.
That's what progress looks like.
Our goal isn't to shame anyone for decisions already made.
Our goal is to help the next parent make a more informed one.
I've Used Piercing Guns
One assumption people often make is that professional piercers dislike guns because we've never used them.
Quite the opposite.
Twenty years ago, I used Australia's leading piercing gun systems.
I've seen them jam.
I've seen jewellery only pierce halfway through an ear.
I've had guns fail to release from the jewellery, leaving the entire device hanging from a child's ear.
I've seen accidental discharges before the jewellery even reached the ear.
Those experiences are exactly why I no longer use them.
Modern stapler-style systems were around 23 years ago, they haven’t improved even if they dont experience the same mechanical problems spring-loaded guns. And if you think about that fact there were around 23 years ago are they really even modern? And if the spring loaded system is still used from the 70s why haven’t improvement been made for safety.
Ether way they still rely on forcing a blunt jewellery post through tissue rather than making a clean incision with a sterile single-use needle.
Which brings me to my favourite analogy.
A Butter Knife or a Chef's Knife?
Imagine trying to cut a steak with a butter knife.
Could you do it?
Eventually.
Would it tear the meat instead of slicing cleanly?
Absolutely.
Now replace the butter knife with a sharp chef's knife.
Suddenly the job becomes cleaner, more precise, and causes far less damage.
That's the simplest way I can explain the difference between piercing with jewellery and piercing with a needle.
A professional piercing needle creates a precise opening.
A gun forces blunt jewellery through the tissue.
One cuts.
One tears.
Jewellery Matters More Than Most People Realise
When most people compare jewellery, they only look at one or two thing:
“is it pretty” & maybe “What metal is it?"
Jewellery quality is determined by much more than the title of metal itself.
It also includes:
- where the material came from
- manufacturing consistency
- surface finish
- polishing quality
- machining tolerances
- jewellery design
- implant certification.
Think of it like chocolate cake.
Imagine five cakes sitting in front of you.
They all look identical.
But your family has allergies, nuts gluten, dairy.
Would you simply pick one because it looks nice?
Or would you ask the baker:
- What ingredients were used?
- Was there cross contamination?
- When was it made?
- How was it prepared?
That's exactly how implant-grade jewellery works.
The metal name is only one piece of the puzzle, its like chocolate cake doesn’t tell you the actual flavour or ingreediance.
Professional manufacturers provide mill certificates that document the material composition and origin.
Reputable companies also manufacture jewellery to extremely tight tolerances before polishing every surface to an exceptionally smooth finish.
Those details matter.
Why Butterfly Backs Aren't Designed for Healing
One of the biggest differences between traditional ear-piercing jewellery and professional body jewellery is the backing.
Butterfly backs contain multiple folds, edges, and small spaces that make cleaning more difficult.
Professional body jewellery is designed differently.
It has smooth surfaces, appropriately fitted wearable lengths, and secure threading or threadless systems that don't clamp down on tissue as swelling changes.
There is no universal ear thickness.
One ear may require a different post length from the other.
That's why every piercing should be individually assessed rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all stud.
Proper fit reduces unnecessary pressure and gives tissue the space it needs during healing.
Surface Finish Isn't Cosmetic
When professional piercers talk about mirror polishing, we're not discussing appearance.
We're discussing biology.
A highly polished surface has fewer microscopic imperfections where dried lymph, bacteria, and debris can collect.
It is also less irritating to healing tissue and easier for clients to keep clean.
Even high-quality jewellery isn't maintenance-free forever.
Your body changes.
Jewellery experiences wear.
Build-up occurs.
Just like anything that comes into close contact with your body, jewellery requires regular cleaning, inspection, and replacement when it becomes damaged.
Why We Continue Having These Conversations
Sometimes it feels like professional piercers spend half their careers repeating the same advice.
Trust me - we'd rather not.
We're not trying to create fear.
We're trying to replace assumptions with education.
No one is calling parents irresponsible.
No one is judging decisions made twenty+ years ago or yesterday.
We're simply asking people to make future decisions using the best information available today.
You don't have to agree with every opinion I hold.
But I do hope you'll consider one thing:
When someone has dedicated more than 2 decades to one profession, continues to study it, mentors others within the industry, and has personally managed thousands of piercings and complications, perhaps their perspective is worth hearing.
At Cherrycore, we don't choose needles over piercing guns because it's fashionable.
We choose them because, after twenty years of seeing both systems firsthand, we genuinely believe they offer our clients the safest, most predictable, and most professional outcome possible.