User blog comment:Gundam Legilis/Volume 1 Weapons In Depth - Melodic Cudgel/@comment-3146930-20140721020908/@comment-5426254-20140721025809

Not so true. That gun was enough to damage the ground Blake was standing on. Additionally, Blake wasn't standing after the explosion, but rather was on her knees trying to get up, after being disoriented. She had to use her semblance to assist in her evasion, because she knows how much of a threat it is.

How Roman and Blake survived is simply because of Plot Armor or an oversight by the Production Team. This normally wouldn't happen in real life and shouldn't happen in the show under normal circumstances. Bear in mind that I try to compare some RWBY weapons to real life situations. So the gun isn't useless, and is a dangerous weapon when fired at close range.