[freepatriot32]

Ok this could take awhile i'll go through as many false statements as iI can before I get a headache

.50 caliber sniper rifles were designed as battlefield rifles to puncture armor, attack personnel carriers and fuel tanks, and to be used for assassination due to the rifle's astonishing range and firepower,

B.S. the 50 caliber rifle was on the civilian market 10 years before the military bought it for military use.

but are easier to get in Illinois than a handgun.

Ok this is a matter of schematics but i would say its a lot easier to come up with 500 dollars for a handgun then the $20,000 it would take to get a 50 caliber bmg rifle.

In addition, .50 caliber sniper rifles and ammunition are easily available over the internet and at guns shows, including highly lethal ammunition such as armor piercing and incendiary rounds which are currently legal.

The last I heard 50 caliber incendiary ammo was illegal for all but military personal.But why let facts and truth get in the way of a good hysterical coniption fit

A recent study by the Rand Corporation found that there were no adequate defenses to prevent a terrorist from using a .50 caliber sniper rifle to attack civilian airplanes at long range taxiing on the runway or during takeoff or landing,

Yes there is basic physics.It would be almost impossible to hit a plane with a simple gun taking off at 300 mph or landing at roughly 200 mph but even if you win the marksman lottory and hit the plane with a bullet at takeoff or landing that in itself isnt going to bring the plane down in a fiery crash.The most that would happen is that te plane loses pressure and the air masks come down.Then the pilots circle around and land a the airport safely.

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.

[B4Ranch]

>>The most that would happen is that te plane loses pressure and the air masks come down.<<

Study up on the subject.

[Fast1]

Nice post thanks!

[Graybeard58]

This is my state - Illinois. One of the few remaining states that won't even think about letting its citizens carry concealed or otherwise. As long as the dimwits control every branch of the government that's the way it will be.

[Disambiguator]

This phrase:

keep the most deadly and powerful sniper rifles on the market out of the hands of terrorists to protect Illinois aviation and vulnerable industrial targets.

Should read:

keep the most accurate and powerful rifles on the market out of the hands of citizens to protect gun-grabbing politicians.

There, that's more accurate.

[Zavien Doombringer]

The most that would happen is that te plane loses pressure and the air masks come down.Then the pilots circle around and land a the airport safely.

And that only happens above 8000 ft. The aircraft may be "tight" and lightly pressureized when the door closes, it truely isn't pressurized until above 8000 ft.

I am no marksmen, but I am a good shot. a plane accelerating to altitude is cruizing up to 350mph, who would be able to land a killing shot?

[Terriergal]

easier to get in Illinois than a handgun.

You gotta be kidding me. -- and I'm speaking from regulatory perspective since terrorists are going to have access to money, and price won't be too relevant.

[taxcontrol]

Minor nit about your analysis of a .50 attack on an airplane. If you are any sniper worth your salt, you would not shoot the cabin or try for the pilots. You would know that most modern aircraft can land themselves. You would go after the tires or the engines as your target of choice.

Tires would be more difficult as the only real angle worth talking about would either head on or tail on shot.

Getting a round into the engine has the greatest chance of bringing down the plane IF you can achieve a shear of the inlet fans. I'm not convinced that one BMG round could cause this type of damage. But if it was possible to shear the fan blades, it might cause a catastrophic failure of the engine assembly as the fan blades would separate and traveling at high speed, throw shrapnel in several different directions. Possibly chewing up much of the wing, fuel lines, etc. However, the this would be one d**n good shot. Not impossible, but very difficult at best.

Next option would be to puncture the fuel tanks but this unlikely to cause a catastrophic failure. More likely a puncture of the fuel tanks would slowly leak fuel - perhaps not even enough for the cockpit to notice right away. Leaking fuel is obviously dangerous but the aircraft in todays markets are designed for a lot of problems. I cant imagine that a leaking fuel tank was over looked.

In short, bringing down a plane with a .50 is no easy trick. It would take careful planning and a very good marksman. It would be a heck of a lot easier to smuggle in an anti-aircraft missile and shoot it down. A BMG would not be my weapon of choice.

[Che Chihuahua]

As if terrorists go to the local sporting goods store to buy their hardware.

"Hi, my name's Osama Been Drinkin'! Can you show me an assault rifle? Did I tell you I have a restraining order against me from wife Fatima?"

Politicians are dumber than a bag of hammers.

[garyhope]

The only people afraid of a .50 cal rifle are Hillary Clinton, the Kennedy's, "hard core leftists", anti-Americans and Islamofascists, etc.

[Aarchaeus]

A law is obviously needed to keep this firepower out of the wrong hands. We already keep marijuana, cocaine, heroin and such stuff out of circulation by outlawing them, and keep our southern border secure by having immigration laws. Another gun control law is just one more thing to make it impossible for criminals to do nasty things </sarcasm>

[Sax]

The article refers to the rifle eight times as a .50 "sniper" rifle.

Sniper, Sniper, Sniper, Sniper... (scared yet?)

What about .50 sporting rifles, or .50 utility rifles?

[AdamSelene235]

Ok this is a matter of schematics but i would say its a lot easier to come up with 500 dollars for a handgun then the $20,000 it would take to get a 50 caliber bmg rifle.

You can get them for 3000 or less. http://www.serbu.com/bfg50.htm

The last I heard 50 caliber incendiary ammo was illegal for all but military personal.

Wrong again.

Yes there is basic physics.It would be almost impossible to hit a plane with a simple gun taking off at 300 mph or landing at roughly 200 mph

Still wrong. Its a matter of angle.

FWIW, I support private ownership of 50's but you need to check your facts.

[longtermmemmory]

This just BEGS for a "mythbusters" demonstration that this 50 cal RIFLE taking down a plane is absurd.

That particular show did an excellent demonstration showing how a bullet WILL NOT cause a hollywood-esque decompression.

I think the lefties have been watching too much TV. This is just feel good look busy legislation that does NOTHING but attack the second amendment via collateral attack.

[quietolong]

Yup! How long before it's

.30 caliber sniper rifles were designed as battlefield rifles