Weapons: What the floating gun and 2:17 could mean in the movie

Weapons is one of those movies that makes you want to grab a notebook and jot down all the symbolisms and little details that you might otherwise miss. It’s packed with layered meaning, and more than a few red herrings to keep you second guessing yourself. As we progress from one scene to the next, our assumptions turn out to be wrong. It’s the kind of story that feels like an endless layer of clothing.

The thing about movies like Weapons is that they leave a lot open for interpretation. And when a filmmaker does that, you can’t just take a quick guess and be done with it. You’ve got to sit with it, replay moments in your head, and maybe even rewatch the whole thing to catch the clues you missed the first time. Some answers are there if you dig deep enough, but others are just going to sit there, daring you to make sense of them.

One of those big moments in the movie is the floating gun scene. We see a gun just hanging mid-air. And then there’s the number 2:17, which is the exact time all the kids vanished. In a movie this carefully crafted, this cannot be a random coincidence. So in this article, we’re going to roll up our sleeves and try to figure out what that floating gun and that 2:17 could really be telling us.

Disclaimer: The article reflects the author's opinions. Reader discretion is advised.

Weapons: The floating gun, and the mystery of 2:17

Weapons throws that floating gun scene at us and then just strolls away without any sort of explanation. It’s one of those moments that sticks with you because it’s weird, but also because you know it means something. Or at least, it feels like it should.

Josh Brolin's Archer has a dream in this scene. He's watching himself sleep, sees the clock flashing 2:17, and then sees the doors of his house opening by itself as if telling him to follow his kid outside. He runs after his son and there it is. This huge gun, just floating in the sky, above a house. And on it is the same exact time, 2:17.

Now, here’s one way to look at it. Maybe the floating gun is a giant metaphor that Archer is going to become a weapon himself. By the end of Weapons, he does come under the witch’s spell. So maybe that dream was kind of a foreshadow.

The time, 2:17, poses another significant question. Why did all the children run away at exactly that time? And what does it have to do with the gun? The floating gun with that glowing 2:17 could be a symbol of them being “weaponized” by the witch at that exact time. It could mean that something happened to them, and now they’re not just kids anymore but are her weapons.

One of the big theories floating around online points to a real-life event. Back in July 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the assault weapons ban. The final tally was exactly 217 votes in favor. The bill’s goal was to outlaw semi-automatic rifles with military-style designs. It managed to clear the House, but it hit a wall in the Senate. If you connect that fact to the movie, the 2:17 flashing on both the clock and the enormous gun could be a deliberate wink. In that case, Weapons becomes a movie about the lack of action, and the choice to look away from certain things that are considered to be important.

In an interview with Variety, director Zach Cregger admitted even he doesn’t have a clear cut answer for that floating gun scene. He said:

"I don’t know. It’s a very important moment for me in this movie, and to be frank with you, I think what I love about it so much is that I don’t understand it. I have a few different ideas of what it might be there for, but I don’t have the right answer. "

Cregger also made it clear that the moment is wide open for interpretation.

"I like the idea that everyone is probably going to have their own kind of interaction or their own relationship with that scene, whether they don’t give a sh*t about it and it’s boring, or whether they think it’s some sort of political statement, or whether they think it’s just cool. I don’t really care. It’s not up to me. I just like that it’s there."

It could also be a red herring and foreshadowing at the same time. With how layered Weapons is, there’s probably more to it. Regardless of it, that floating gun and that 2:17 are going to be stuck in our brains for a while.