firing gangster style

I can't for the life of me figure out why. The barrel of a gun is slanted slightly upwards to correct for gravity; this would mean that if I fire gangster style with a gun in my right hand I'd hit low and to the left of my intended target. About the only use I can see for it is if shooting repeatedly in a crowded environment at close quarters and I dont't really care who I hit, the recoil would jerk the gun to the left instead of up, thereby slightly increasing the chance that I hit the guy to the left of the target. But how often does that happen? My theory is that the gangster firing style is adopted just for the sake of coolness. And let's face it: it just looks stupid.

I can't say this with 100% accuracy, but I believe the phenomenon could be traced back to early Hong Kong ganster films. Look to John Woo and Chow Yun Fat for more. Personally, I've held a Glock in that fashion and fired the thing--it's a more comfortable feel and I found it easier to aim (as much as you can aim with a Glock, at least...terrible accuracy). Mileage may vary.

I must admit that I was on a firing range and not the local 7-11 when I shot the gun.