Is it better to get a cartilage piercing with a needle or a gun?

DO NOT get any sort of piercing done with a gun, this is piercing 101 - a piercing gun is not a means of piercing, because guns use blunt force trauma they can cause a lot of damage and shatter the cartilage (thus why they are not allowed to be used on the cartilage), they can misfire, they use inappropriate jewelry, and they can't be cleaned properly so risk infections as well as blood born diseases. If you want a piercing go to a piercing studio where they use needles, there is a little more pain but it's only for a second and will save you the pain of longer healing and infection.