What the fuck happened to Fallout 4's weapons?

[Crni Vuk]

Yeah, you can also find tons of bottle caps in 200 year old lockers, safes and other storages and with skeletons, that doesn't mean that bottle caps have been the stadard currency 200 years ago, before the nukes went off.

You're really assuming a lot of stuff here that you take as canon, but when Dr. Fallout is doing something similar, you handwave his arguments away with 'there is no actual proof/mention of it in the game'.

His guess on the matter, is as good as yours.

But the biggest argument against it, in my opinion, the government took the weapons away so people had to make home-made weapons? In the US? Seriously? Like for real?

 

[Greed]

Yeah, you can also find tons of bottle caps in 200 year old lockers, safes and other storages and with skeletons, that doesn't mean that bottle caps have been the stadard currency 200 years ago, before the nukes went off.

Nuka Cola was the countries most popular soft drink, with machines on nearly every street corner of America, and so many bottles in the consumer's hands that you can find large piles of them everywhere post war. Caps don't need to be currency to find their way into safes, or anything else. Caps would be everywhere, they essentially became pennies, those things that you find everywhere because there are so many no one wants to pick them all up.

But the biggest argument against it, in my opinion, the government took the weapons away so people had to make home-made weapons? In the US? Seriously? Like for real?

This was the same U.S. that was displaying videos of Canadian resistance fighter's executions on TV.
The same U.S. designing an entire system of Vaults to systematically screw over what few people survived the war.
The same U.S. doing terrible experiments like the PIV and FEV projects.
The same U.S. allowing groups like Big MT. to do mass experimentation on entire towns.
The same U.S. rounding up basically anyone who was Chinese, and throwing them in internment camps under suspicion of being communist spies.
The same U.S. that had put Boston under martial law.
The same U.S. gunning down people indiscriminately at food ration sites for made up reasons.

The Fallout U.S. was nothing like ours besides the name really.

 

[Crni Vuk]

Still, there is no basis for that argument. I can not remember a single case where it was even hinted at, that the government actively collected all the guns or something like that.

Nuka Cola was the countries most popular soft drink, with machines on nearly every street corner of America, and so many bottles in the consumer's hands that you can find large piles of them everywhere post war. Caps don't need to be currency to find their way into safes, or anything else. Caps would be everywhere, they essentially became pennies, those things that you find everywhere because there are so many no one wants to pick them all up.

Yeah, so much that people put 5, 10 or even 100 of them in their lockers, desks and safes ...

 

[CourierC-212]

I enjoyed fallout 3 for what it was worth, but Fallout 3 had some glaring issues with guns, it was just not as in your face as it is with Fallout 4. The Combat Shotgun from 3 being a prime example. Fallout 4 feels like a rush job anyhow, and on top of it, it seems most of the developers dont really know much of the fallout world or it's lore, especially when you consider the jet being in prewar vaults shit.

Yeah, you can also find tons of bottle caps in 200 year old lockers, safes and other storages and with skeletons, that doesn't mean that bottle caps have been the stadard currency 200 years ago, before the nukes went off.

You're really assuming a lot of stuff here that you take as canon, but when Dr. Fallout is doing something similar, you handwave his arguments away with 'there is no actual proof/mention of it in the game'.

His guess on the matter, is as good as yours.

But the biggest argument against it, in my opinion, the government took the weapons away so people had to make home-made weapons? In the US? Seriously? Like for real?

I always saw the bottlecaps in random closed areas as just a sacrifice for gameplays sake. Like how your character somehow magically knows to collect bottlecaps as currency before anyone tells you. It's to make things easier on the player, trying to strike a decent balance between realism and convenience.

Nuka Cola was the countries most popular soft drink, with machines on nearly every street corner of America, and so many bottles in the consumer's hands that you can find large piles of them everywhere post war. Caps don't need to be currency to find their way into safes, or anything else. Caps would be everywhere, they essentially became pennies, those things that you find everywhere because there are so many no one wants to pick them all up.


This was the same U.S. that was displaying videos of Canadian resistance fighter's executions on TV.
The same U.S. designing an entire system of Vaults to systematically screw over what few people survived the war.
The same U.S. doing terrible experiments like the PIV and FEV projects.
The same U.S. allowing groups like Big MT. to do mass experimentation on entire towns.
The same U.S. rounding up basically anyone who was Chinese, and throwing them in internment camps under suspicion of being communist spies.
The same U.S. that had put Boston under martial law.
The same U.S. gunning down people indiscriminately at food ration sites for made up reasons.

The Fallout U.S. was nothing like ours besides the name really.

You'd be surprised what America gets up to in the dark. Just look up MK Ultra, and thats just what we know about CANCELLED projects. Lord knows what they got cooking where no one can see it nowadays. Though I have heard there are massive bunkers underneath big ass corporate stores, like Wal-Mart. I wouldn't be surprised if much of what Black Isle created for Fallout was inspired by stories/conspiracy theories/cancelled projects of what the U.S of A was actually doing in real life.

Still, there is no basis for that argument. I can not remember a single case where it was even hinted at, that the government actively collected all the guns or something like that.


Yeah, so much that people put 5, 10 or even 100 of them in their lockers, desks and safes ...

The pipe pistols as I see it are a good example of what Bethesda did wrong in Fallout 4, they made them for the sake of change. Most likely to give that rundown broken civilizations feel. But like how they interpreted pre-war america, right before the A-bombs no less, as well as the ridiculousness of things like Mr Handys jet barely above floor level, the changes they made for the sake of change almost entirely ended up being bad decisions. They really really really need to sit down whatever writers, or all the damn developers involved in world creation and story, and make them play fallout 1 & 2, to at least have an understanding of the world and mechanics of the universe theyre making games in.

 

[Dr Fallout]

Because you can find them on skeletons of people behind locked doors that have been locked for 200 years

How do you know the doors have been locked for 200 years? Any examples? If you find them, I'm happy to concede this point.

The Fallout bible is non-canon, as stated by Avellone himself. Only the parts of it directly mentioned in-game are canon. Like that one Vault in Fallout 3 where they released hallucinogenic gas into the vault first being mentioned in the Bible.

Off the top of my head, no. But basic observational skills, and a complete lack of anyone mentioning they did any such thing proves they did not.

When I argue with you, my IQ collapses. The way you consider anything NOT directly mentioned in game as false makes me consider you more of an idiot then certified Bethesdians like CT Phipps. Like Crni said, you assume just if not more then me, and fail to put any sources or evidence other then 'Not in the game, never happened' even though the Fallout Bible said so. Then you took small parts of the bible that are contradictory and assumed that the entire thing was bullshit which means we have no conclusive idea of what occurred pre-war. You've basically set a flamethrower to the Pre-War world because we got a massive portion of our information from it!

Hell, the fact we got civil unrest and food/energy riots (which you mentioned) were from the Bible itself. They're never actually mentioned in the games. Also, your assumption that the government was too weak to do anything has no evidence and is merely an a assumption.

 

[Greed]

Hell, the fact we got civil unrest and food/energy riots (which you mentioned) were from the Bible itself. They're never actually mentioned in the games.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Boston_Bugle_building_terminal_entries#.5BArticle_3.5D
Boston Food Riots Continue
By Buster Connolly
Boston Bugle Staff Writer

In what can only be described as a scene of absolute pandemonium, on Friday afternoon soldiers of the United States Army's 184th Infantry Regiment opened fire on a group of unarmed civilians after an unknown person smashed the plate glass window of the Roxbury Food Bank, prompting several people in the line outside to storm into the establishment. As of yesterday evening, at least four people were confirmed dead and eight others injured, but Jonathan Corman, spokesman for the Army, insists the troops acted within their authority.

"The soldiers in question issued explicit verbal warnings several times. Those people knew exactly what would happen if they broke the line and attacked the food bank. Hunger is no excuse for civil disobedience, vandalism or - in this case - starting a riot that puts the lives of every civilian in the area at risk. It is the role of the United States Army to maintain order in this difficult time, and that is exactly what happened in this instance. I would also like to point out that the soldiers of the 184th Infantry Regiment have not had a food ration in two days. These men and women understand hunger probably better than anyone."

It is a response the American people have grown accustomed to, as violent scenes like the one in Roxbury have played out again and again, across the country, as a starving populace tries desperately to obtain food for its families. And, as has happened so many times in the past, the civilian witnesses of the so-called riot tell a different tale. Eighty-five year old grandmother Hannah Henry was in line at the food bank, and claims the soldiers had anything but order and liberty on their minds.

"They were laughing! Joking about who they were going to shoot first. It was all a game to them. Those soldiers may not have fired on the crowd before that window got broke, but they was looking forward to it all the same."

One can only hope that the violence in Roxbury will be the last such incident our country has to suffer through. But until America finds the strength to question its domestic policies - and the food to feed its people - the future remains uncertain.

The way you consider anything NOT directly mentioned in game as false.

Where on earth did you get that idea?

Then you took small parts of the bible that are contradictory and assumed that the entire thing was bullshiy

Actually no. I said it was bullshit because, as I stated, Avellone himself said it was bullshit.

http://fallout.gamepedia.com/Fallout_canon#Secondary_sources
Note: Chris Avellone is of the opinion that the Bible shouldn't be used as canon and that Bethesda is not limited by its contents. However, the current owner of the franchise and thus, only authority on Fallout canon has not clarified the Bible's status, apart from statements by Emil Pagliarulo and Todd Howard mentioned above as well as elements incorporated in released games.

 

[Risewild]

I am going to ask about the government taking civilians weapons. Did this really happened? I can't remember anywhere in the lore saying the government took weapons from people.
Actually I remember the story of laser weapons being that there was the military ones and a model for civilians to buy. Why would a company be allowed to sell a civilian model of laser weapons when the government didn't allow civilians to own arms anymore?

Several different variants of laser pistols exist, from low power civilian models to extremely powerful military sidearms. Typically, the main difference are the focusing optics. While civilian models utilize a laser diode,[1] military models employ a photonic focusing chamber and crystal array,[2] which creates a tighter, more destructive beam, although certain modifications (e.g. a magneting field focusing system) can improve the performance of a civilian model, bringing it on par with military models.[3] Power can be provided through a variety of methods, including battery packs, fusion cells, and even cabled power systems.[4]

It needs to be noted that even civilian models are extremely powerful weapons, emitting a beam of coherent light with several megawatts worth of wattage.[5] As such, civilian models can be locked down for transport, requiring an arming sequence to make them operable again.[6]

Gameplay articles:
Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics
The Wattz 1000 laser pistol is a mass produced civilian variant of the laser pistol, offering lower wattage than military or police versions.[7] Its design is one of the primary reasons for the reduced wattage, as rather than a crystal array, it uses a laser diode for focusing light.[1][2]

The weapons can be easily locked down for transport and storage, preventing unauthorized users from operating the weapon. The proper arming sequence needs to be transmitted to enable the weapon to function.[6]

Why would they mass produce weapons for someone who couldn't buy them?
We have even Fallout 4 telling us some weapons in that game were available for civilians to buy, like the Combat Pistol:

Available to both government and civilian clients, the combat pistol could be fitted with an automatic receiver, turning it into a submachine gun, as well as a variety of optics (including the high-tech recon scopes), silencers, and other accessories to improve its performance. Of course, the flexibility came at a cost, as the combat pistol required more expensive machining and materials than the N99, consisting primarily of simple flat surfaces.[10]

So civilians could legally buy combat pistols...
Can someone provide a source saying that the big bad government stole people's weapons?

 

[Greed]

You'd be surprised what America gets up to in the dark. Just look up MK Ultra, and thats just what we know about CANCELLED projects. Lord knows what they got cooking where no one can see it nowadays. Though I have heard there are massive bunkers underneath big ass corporate stores, like Wal-Mart. I wouldn't be surprised if much of what Black Isle created for Fallout was inspired by stories/conspiracy theories/cancelled projects of what the U.S of A was actually doing in real life.

I'm quite aware of all the terrible stuff the real world America tried to do. But Fallout is based on a combination of 80's movies like Mad Max, and 50's nuclear paranoia/b movie tropes, where the government was doing even far worse things.

it seems most of the developers dont really know much of the fallout world or it's lore, especially when you consider the jet being in prewar vaults shit.

http://sugarbombed.com/forums/threads/chris-avellone-interview-part-1.21018/
SB: One last Fallout 4 related question. Bethesda, specifically the lead BGS writer Emil Pagularo, have taken some heat for multiple lore inconsistencies found in Fallout 4. For example, according to Fallout 4, jet was available pre-war and not created by Myron in Fallout 2.

CA: Do I take issue with them? No. (And considering what jet was originally made from, that lore point should make a lot of players happy.)

 

[CourierC-212]

I'm quite aware of all the terrible stuff the real world America tried to do. But Fallout is based on a combination of 80's movies like Mad Max, and 50's nuclear paranoia/b movie tropes, where the government was doing even far worse things.


http://sugarbombed.com/forums/threads/chris-avellone-interview-part-1.21018/
SB: One last Fallout 4 related question. Bethesda, specifically the lead BGS writer Emil Pagularo, have taken some heat for multiple lore inconsistencies found in Fallout 4. For example, according to Fallout 4, jet was available pre-war and not created by Myron in Fallout 2.

CA: Do I take issue with them? No. (And considering what jet was originally made from, that lore point should make a lot of players happy.)

He's referring to how its made from Brahmin shit, it's still a massive lore inconsistency. It's also obvious from the interview avellone is being careful not to say anything too critical of Bethesda, as they have him contracted for Prey, and he hopes to work on the next Fallout.
Also, im pretty sure the government never stopped with those kinds of projects, and if we knew the actual extent of the projects they got going on now, we'd be horrified beyond reason. An example is the Zika virus was originally being "researched" by the american government, and many of the mosquitos which caused the epidemic were released by them, as they thought they were clean. Far too suspicious. I'm pretty sure they got some Vault-tec level stuff going on.

 

[Greed]

He's referring to how its made from Brahmin shit, it's still a massive lore inconsistency. It's also obvious from the interview avellone is being careful not to say anything too critical of Bethesda, as they have him contracted for Prey, and he hopes to work on the next Fallout.

Avellone has made it pretty clear he doesn't expect to work on Fallout again, and that he wouldn't go back to Obsidian even if the get the chance to make another one.

Also, according to Fallout 2, Mrs. Bishop was thrown out of Vault City for using Jet years before Myron supposedly invented it. Not even Fallout 2 was consistent with when it was made.

 

[CourierC-212]

Avellone has made it pretty clear he doesn't expect to work on Fallout again, and that he wouldn't go back to Obsidian even if the get the chance to make another one.

Also, according to Fallout 2, Mrs. Bishop was thrown out of Vault City for using Jet years before Myron supposedly invented it. Not even Fallout 2 was consistent with when it was made.

Hm, interesting about Mrs Bishop, I didnt remember that. As for avellone, I thought the only reason why he's doing contract work for Bethesda is for the opportunity to work on Fallout. He specifically mentioned not working with Obsidian, I'm sure he'd jump at the chance to work on the next fallout if given the opportunity.

 

[Greed]

Hm, interesting about Mrs Bishop, I didnt remember that. As for avellone, I thought the only reason why he's doing contract work for Bethesda is for the opportunity to work on Fallout. He specifically mentioned not working with Obsidian, I'm sure he'd jump at the chance to work on the next fallout if given the opportunity.

Hes working for Bethesda Softworks, the publisher, not Bethesda Game Studios, the developers. And hes helping Arkane make Prey.

Avellone is a freelance writer who is working on other projects besides Prey also. Fallout isn't related to anything he is doing, or why he is working for Arkane/BethSoft

 

[Dr Fallout]

Actually no. I said it was bullshit because, as I stated, Avellone himself said it was bullshit.

http://fallout.gamepedia.com/Fallout_canon#Secondary_sources
Note: Chris Avellone is of the opinion that the Bible shouldn't be used as canon and that Bethesda is not limited by its contents. However, the current owner of the franchise and thus, only authority on Fallout canon has not clarified the Bible's status, apart from statements by Emil Pagliarulo and Todd Howard mentioned above as well as elements incorporated in released games.

Yet Bethesda has never actually considered it non-canon, or any part of it non-canon which means that you have no basis to call it bullshit. Hence, you haven't actually disproved my point because it has not been considered non-canon AND is not in any way contradictory to established lore. While I respect what Avellone says, he's not the be-all and end-all of Fallout.

Where on earth did you get that idea?

From the fact that you consider the normal doctrine of quarantine and location control used in areas suffering civil dissent never to have happened, because it's never directly mentioned or that US soldiers were pulled from China and Alaska into the US, which takes a lot of organizational skill and network of transports. These are both supported by the Fallout Bible, which you have yet to truly kick out of the equation as explained.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Boston_Bugle_building_terminal_entries#.5BArticle_3.5D
Boston Food Riots Continue
By Buster Connolly
Boston Bugle Staff Writer

In what can only be described as a scene of absolute pandemonium, on Friday afternoon soldiers of the United States Army's 184th Infantry Regiment opened fire on a group of unarmed civilians after an unknown person smashed the plate glass window of the Roxbury Food Bank, prompting several people in the line outside to storm into the establishment. As of yesterday evening, at least four people were confirmed dead and eight others injured, but Jonathan Corman, spokesman for the Army, insists the troops acted within their authority.

"The soldiers in question issued explicit verbal warnings several times. Those people knew exactly what would happen if they broke the line and attacked the food bank. Hunger is no excuse for civil disobedience, vandalism or - in this case - starting a riot that puts the lives of every civilian in the area at risk. It is the role of the United States Army to maintain order in this difficult time, and that is exactly what happened in this instance. I would also like to point out that the soldiers of the 184th Infantry Regiment have not had a food ration in two days. These men and women understand hunger probably better than anyone."

It is a response the American people have grown accustomed to, as violent scenes like the one in Roxbury have played out again and again, across the country, as a starving populace tries desperately to obtain food for its families. And, as has happened so many times in the past, the civilian witnesses of the so-called riot tell a different tale. Eighty-five year old grandmother Hannah Henry was in line at the food bank, and claims the soldiers had anything but order and liberty on their minds.

"They were laughing! Joking about who they were going to shoot first. It was all a game to them. Those soldiers may not have fired on the crowd before that window got broke, but they was looking forward to it all the same."

One can only hope that the violence in Roxbury will be the last such incident our country has to suffer through. But until America finds the strength to question its domestic policies - and the food to feed its people - the future remains uncertain.

Point taken, though this does support the Fallout bible in that it mentions the food riots AND the use of military force to quell them and contradicts your idea that the US was falling entirely apart and unable to mount a search or secure a civilian area.

 

[CourierC-212]

Hes working for Bethesda Softworks, the publisher, not Bethesda Game Studios, the developers. And hes helping Arkane make Prey.

Avellone is a freelance writer who is working on other projects besides Prey also. Fallout isn't related to anything he is doing, or why he is working for Arkane/BethSoft

Yes, I know. Which is why I mentioned his working on Prey in my posts. What I meant was his working with Bethesda on Prey was in the hopes of eventually doing contract work on the next mainline Fallout title. He doesnt actually have to be working with the Bethesda developing studio right now, just have a rapport with Bethesda Softworks the publisher, or even Zenimax, for when the next fallout eventually starts being planned.

 

[Crossfire]

Caps would be everywhere, they essentially became pennies

What the fuck are you talking about?

 

[Greed]

Yet Bethesda has never actually considered it non-canon

That's not how this rodeo works.
-Avellone made the bibles as his personal musings
-Avellone later said the bibles were non canon, and that Bethesda shouldn't feel obligated to follow them
-Bethesda said they read them
-Bethesda poached several ideas from them, and contradicted the bibles in other places
-Bethesda has never said the bibles were canon
Q.E.D., they are not canon except the few parts that are directly mentioned in game, as Bethesda has never said they were canon, and has directly contradicted them in several places, and the person who made them said they were not canon.

This is the exact same thing Lucas did with the Star Wars films, where he outright admits he took locations/names from the books, but that those things being in his movies does not mean the books themselves are canon.

Point taken, though this does support the Fallout bible in that it mentions the food riots AND the use of military force to quell them and contradicts your idea that the US was falling entirely apart and unable to mount a search or secure a civilian area.

Having a few soldiers guard food banks =/= having the forces to mount a systematic search and seizure on large parts of a major metropolitan area. The fact that no one mentions them doing so, and the visible abundance of weapons in these people's homes, shows they did not.

From the fact that you consider the normal doctrine of quarantine and location control used in areas suffering civil dissent never to have happened, because it's never directly mentioned or that US soldiers were pulled from China and Alaska into the US, which takes a lot of organizational skill and network of transports. These are both supported by the Fallout Bible, which you have yet to truly kick out of the equation as explained.

I already "kicked out" the Fallout Bibles. And that is how canon works, like it or not. in-game evidence, and the lack of anyone mentioning it, show the did no such thing.

Yes, I know. Which is why I mentioned his working on Prey in my posts. What I meant was his working with Bethesda on Prey was in the hopes of eventually doing contract work on the next mainline Fallout title. He doesnt actually have to be working with the Bethesda developing studio right now, just have a rapport with Bethesda Softworks the publisher, or even Zenimax, for when the next fallout eventually starts being planned.

I honestly doubt he has any sort of grandiose plans such as that in mind with working with Arkane on Prey.

 

[Dr Fallout]

That's not how this rodeo works.
-Avellone made the bibles as his personal musings
-Avellone later said the bibles were non canon, and that Bethesda shouldn't feel obligated to follow them
-Bethesda said they read them
-Bethesda poached several ideas from them, and contradicted the bibles in other places
-Bethesda has never said the bibles were canon
Q.E.D., they are not canon except the few parts that are directly mentioned in game, as Bethesda has never said they were canon, and has directly contradicted them in several places.

This is the exact same thing Lucas did with the Star Wars films, where he outright admits he took locations/names from the books, but that those things being in his movies does not mean the books themselves are canon.

I agree in some respects. I don't believe the whole Bible is canon, but the timeline is, specifically the Pre-war part because it's never been contradicted and has been even supported by in-game lore. Avellone did write the bible, but the timeline has an older origin then that, going back to the original Vault 13 game concept. Also, he's said that he's pieced the timeline by documents in the game as well as reasonable extrapolation.

Ultimately, I concede though, because logically you have me here. I don't consider Fallout 3, New Vegas and Fallout 4 canon and stand by Fallout 1, Fallout 2 (in some aspects) and the Fallout Bible (again in some aspects). Specifically, I stand extremely strongly with the timeline in the Fallout bible because it's the most information we have on the pre-war world AND has been used by all Fallout wiki's and lore sites. If I continue to argue, it would be from a position of headcanon (or Old-Fallout-Canon, but alas due to Bethesda's ownership of the series it is merely headcanon).

Having a few soldiers guard foot banks =/= having the forces to mount a systematic search and seizure on large parts of a major metropolitan area. The fact that no one mentions them doing so, and the visible abundance of weapons in these people's homes, shows they did not.

Regiment=/=few soldiers.
Uh-huh, sure.

 

[Greed]

snip

And I understand where you are coming from. I just can't agree because of how I always learned canon was defined, and how I have seen it defined in most places.

And as they said, they had a few soldiers from the regiment. Not the whole regiment. Even if the whole regiment was in Boston, theres multiple unmarked military checkpoints(like 10+), a food rationing site, a marked military checkpoint, and soldiers guarding places like the Vaults. Even if we assume they had a full regiment of 1,000ish people, they would be spread over a lot of places, not to mention when we account for game scale. There wouldn't have been that many left to go through such a massive search and seizure campaign.

 

[Dr Fallout]

And I understand where you are coming from. I just can't agree because of how I always learned canon was defined, and how i have seen it defined in most places.

And as they said, they had a few soldiers from the regiment. Not the whole regiment. Even if the whole regiment was in Boston, theres multiple unmarked military checkpoints(like 10+), a food rationing site, a marked military checkpoint(which was also manned by soldiers of the 104), and soldier guarding places like the Vaults. Even if we assume they had a full regiment of 1,000 people, they would be spread over a lot of places, not to mention when we account for game scale. There wouldn't have been that many left to go through such a massive search and seizure campaign.

Call it headcanon then.
'Elements and interpretations of a fictional universe accepted by an individual fan, but not found within or supported by the official canon.'
Well, it is supported by the official canon but only to a point (Fallout Bible/Fallout 1/Fallout 2) which of course aren't the only Fallout games. Fallout New Vegas is great, but it suffers from the problem of having too much 'Fallout 3' and Bethesda in it.

I never said nor expected those particular guards to do the searching, but a larger part of the regiment. A full regiment of a 1000 people is a pretty small regiment, average is between a 1000 to 2000. Also, there may have been multiple regiments depending on how bad the unrest actually is. If it's manageable to only need a single regiment, then going through a search mission should not be too difficult because they would not face massive opposition.

 

[Greed]

Call it headcanon then.
'Elements and interpretations of a fictional universe accepted by an individual fan, but not found within or supported by the official canon.'
Well, it is supported by the official canon but only to a point (Fallout Bible/Fallout 1/Fallout 2) which of course aren't the only Fallout games. Fallout New Vegas is great, but it suffers from the problem of having too much 'Fallout 3' and Bethesda in it.

I never said nor expected those particular guards to do the searching, but a larger part of the regiment. A full regiment of a 1000 people is a pretty small regiment, average is between a 1000 to 2000. Also, there may have been multiple regiments depending on how bad the unrest actually is. If it's manageable to only need a single regiment, then going through a search mission should not be too difficult because they would not face massive opposition.

K.

And all of that is true, in the hypothetical. But until there is something in-game, or one of the devs word-of-god-ing it, it didn't happen. For whatever reason, the military did not have the manpower to seize all those pipe guns from the populace.