Free Republic

Last year, the German armed forces announced they would purchase Heckler and Koch’s MG-5 machine gun to finally replace a World War II-era weapon. The new machine gun should put the Bundeswehr’s existing weapons to shame—and make up for past failures. “Its main feature is that it is much more accurate than its predecessor,” German army colonel Christian Brandes told U.S. Army reporters at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona during testing of the new gun on Oct. 14. The predecessor Brandes was referring to is the MG-3. That aging weapon is essentially just an upgrade of a machine gun Adolf...

The last week of September marks the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war that began in 1980. Formal ceremonies for Sacred Defense Week include a nationwide parade, war remembrance gatherings and—of the most interest to War Is Boring—theatrical unveiling events for new weaponry. This year Iranian authorities extended the weapons unveilings into the first week of October—national police week in Iran—and then a few days more. The extensive show of military might came amid the growing threat of Sunni militia groups inside Iran. Tehran is eager to project an image of strength. But that doesn’t mean all of this new weaponry...

The 34-year-old homeless man accused of a vicious attack on two park rangers yesterday in the Boston Common was ordered held on $1 million cash bail today. Bodio Hutchinson pleaded innocent to numerous assault charges in the 4:36 p.m. alleged slashing that prosecutor Lynn Feigenbaum said left both rangers with five stab wounds each.

For nearly 30 years, soldiers heard an unforgettable sound coming from a weapon firing from behind the rubble in Stalingrad. Or echoing in the frozen hills of the Korean Peninsula during human-wave attacks. Or even rattling the jungles of Vietnam during firefights with the Viet Cong. BRRAP-PAP-PAP-PAP-PAP-PAP-PAP-PAP-PAP! Before the AK-47 became the symbol of Soviet armed forces, there was the “burp gun”—officially, the PPSh-41. It’s an ugly gun that makes an ugly sound during extended fire. Looks aside, the burp gun sure did work.

Conflict Armament Research tracks the weapons the self-proclaimed Islamic State uses. As Damien Spleeters tells NPR's Scott Simon, the group traced weapons back to more than 20 countries. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: ISIS has used ammunition and arms from many sources in its campaign in Kobani and across Syria and northern Iraq. The private group that tries to track these weapons is called Conflict Armament Research. This week, they released a new report. They found that the weapons come from over 20 countries and include arms that are both modern and sometimes decades-old. Damien Spleeters is a field investigator from the...

Baghdad: In its fight in Syria and Iraq, the dreaded terror group, Islamic State or ISIS, has been using ammunition from the United States among other countries as per reports. As per reports in New York Times, field data gathered by a private arms-tracking organisation suggested that weaponry sent to Syria and Iraq to help the governments there had passed to the militants. This had in turn helped the rise of ISIS and had added to their combative strenght. One of the ammunition that the ISIS has used in the war has been the rifle cartridges from the US. This...

WIRED.COM can not be linked to or excerpted according to 'Da Rulz', but I wanted to pass on that the site has an article up about how the creator of the 'plastic gun' has now come up with a computer-controlled milling machine that can create an AR-15 lower receiver. More details at site... Ignore the link above, it only leads to the FR index page. The link to read the article is here: http://www.wired.com/2014/10/cody-wilson-ghost-gunner/

he United States is concerned that the Islamic State group and other terrorists could get a hold of chemical weapons if Syria is hiding any stockpiles, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday. Samantha Power spoke to reporters after the Security Council received a briefing from Sigrid Kaag, who heads the international effort to rid Syria of its chemical weapons. The joint mission of the United Nations and the Organization for the prohibition of Chemical Weapons will end at the end of the month after destroying nearly all of Syria's declared stockpile. But Kaag said the OPCW is...

The Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire discuss whether a ban on assault weapons should exist.

photo captured from Free Syrian Army video/via Military.com More at Reaganite Republican...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)Watch out, enemy drones. The U.S. military is developing laser weapons to smite you. The Office of Naval Research announced last week that it is building a laser weapon that will be able to shoot down aerial drones, spelling big trouble for any enemy who tries to target the U.S. Marines. GBAD – Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move – is a laser weapon designed to be installed on the Marines’ Humvees, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and other light tactical ground vehicles. Intended to provide an affordable alternative to traditional firepower, GBADs could prevent enemy drones from tracking and targeting...

China seizes huge cache of illegal weapons including 10,500 guns and 120,000 knives and SWORDS Follows 4-month probe leading agents deep into China's criminal underworld Haul includes sniper rifles, machine guns, crossbows and samurai swords 15 people were arrested on suspicion of making and distributing arms Official says it was a family-run firm that 'gave business cards all over China'

The following database has been made available by the Law Enforcement Support Office of the Defense Logistics Agency and shows armaments and equipment obtained by local law enforcement officials from the U.S. Military and Department of Homeland Security. Simply choose your State and your County and you'll have complete access to see how well militarized your local and county police departments are.

Watching Hannity's show tonight and other news sources I've heard the following terms: Tanks Heavy Artillery Assault Weapon If you listen to this you'd get the impression that M1A1s along with MLRS' are rolling down the streets of Ferguson and other US cities. I've also heard "conservatives" cry about the "assault weapons" being used by the police. My goodness....don't we fight against the use of this term to describe ARs??

According to YNet News, the Obama administration has halted shipment of Hellfire anti-armor missiles to Israel.The administration blames the decision on Israel: The Journal reports Israel requested money for more Iron Dome interceptors from the US Defense Department mere days after the ground incursion into Gaza began. While Israeli officials told the Americans Israel had enough interceptors for the current Gaza operation, they said it wanted to replenish its stocks.According to the Journal, the Obama administration, with Israel’s consent, decided not to seek emergency funding, and instead hold the Congress vote on the $225 million military aid proposal in...

Half of the Vladivostok was assembled in Russia, then towed to France.The evening attraction in Saint-Nazaire this summer is watching Russian sailors practise their marching drill along the quayside.Some 400 Russian ratings are living in the western French port, awaiting delivery of their controversial new command-and-control ship, the Vladivostok. By day the sailors receive instruction at an on-shore facility run by the Vladivostok's builders, STX France. This week they have finally been allowed on board the vessel for the first time. At the end of the afternoon they return to the Russian navy ship which serves as their sleeping-quarters. The...

Born out of the necessity rapidly to put inexpensive submachine guns in the hands of American soldiers and Marines, it was so cheap it looked like a mechanic’s tool rather than the product of advanced American industrial know-how. It was supposed to serve as a replacement to the iconic and expensive Thompson submachine gun, but developed a reputation of its own that kept it in the U.S. military inventory from World War II all the way through Desert Storm. Nobody really loved the M-3 that G.I.s dubbed the “Grease Gun.” But nobody really hated, either.

The leader of the Kurds in Iraq has pleaded for arms shipments to fend off onslaught from extremist Islamic State (IS) militia, who are accused of burying women and children alive. United States officials have warned IS is a direct threat to the US, and other western nations, and is more powerful now than Al Qaeda was when it struck the US on September 11, 2001. The US forces have continued airstrikes against IS targets in northern Iraq as political friends and foes criticise president Barack Obama's decision to limit American action in the country.

WASHINGTON (AP) - For years, Kurdish officials have beseeched the Obama administration to let them buy U.S. weapons. For just as long, the administration has rebuffed America's closest allies in Iraq. U.S. officials insisted they could only sell arms to the government in Baghdad, even after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki broke a written promise to deliver some to the Kurds. Their peaceful, semiautonomous northern region had been the lone success story to come out of the 2003 U.S. invasion. The U.S. has resisted arming the Kurds because Washington's aim is to keep Iraq united. A strong Kurdish army could hasten...

ver the last four years, I have lived with the constant threat from a stalker – a stalker who is now in jail for the third time for violating a restraining order. Every day I live with these questions: What if today is the day that my stalker posts bail? What if today is the day that he discovers my parents’ new address? What if I go to a lecture on campus and he shows up there? I feel that I have no control over my life. My family was forced to move. I have had stay indoors, keep drapes...