Tennessee’s new official state rifle is so powerful it can ‘destroy commercial aircraft’

Washington Post Wonkblog ^ | February 26, 2016 | Christopher Ingraham

[Olog-hai]

The Barrett .50 caliber rifle is a powerful gun. Widely used in the military, its rounds can "penetrate light armor, down helicopters, destroy commercial aircraft, and blast through rail cars," according to a report from the Violence Policy Center, a gun safety group. The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence describes .50 caliber rifles like the Barrett as "among the most destructive weapons legally available to civilians in the United States."

And as of Wednesday, the Barrett .50 caliber is now the official state rifle of Tennessee, joining an illustrious roster of other state symbols including the raccoon (state wild animal), the tomato (state fruit), and Tennessee cave salamander (state amphibian).

The gun's inventor, Ronnie Barrett, is a Tennessee native and NRA board member who was referred to as "the rock superstar in the world of weapons" at a 2014 birthday bash attended by politicians Mike Huckabee, Lamar Alexander, Marsha Blackburn and others. The rifle bearing his name is manufactured in Christiana, Tennessee. ...

[gorush]

OMG!

[BenLurkin]

The globalists want to feel safe in their armored limos.

I say it is a good thing for them to feel fear.

[Olog-hai]

I totally got goosebumps.

[AppyPappy]

Big deal, I downed a helicopter with an SKS.

IN A GAME!! IN A GAME!!!

[Organic Panic]

All those gang bangers are driving around doing drive bys with Barret 50s and S$W 500s because they are so concealable. Better ban them.... RUN FOR THE HILLS.

[AppyPappy]

Goosebumps, my foot. This is my first stiffie in 3 years.

[Noumenon]

These liberal weasels can go sob hysterically into their pillows.

[Chickensoup]

Goosebumps, my foot. This is my first stiffie in 3 years.
____________________

You have got to get out more.

[Jagdgewehr]

...according to a report from the Violence Policy Center, a gun safety group.

Because what use is hyperbole unless it is comes from an "official" source.

[Steely Tom]

Kid I knew in high school brought down a NYS police helicopter with a rifle.

He got in a lot of trouble.

That was about 45 years ago.

[TomServo]

I once shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.

[Charles Martel]

Sweet. Maybe Hickok45 will do a commemorative video. :-)

[TomServo]

Yeah - and the first one shot down will have Nick Saban and the entire U. of Alabama on board.

[shibumi]

"And as of Wednesday, the Barrett .50 caliber is now the official state rifle of Tennessee, joining an illustrious roster of other state symbols including the raccoon (state wild animal), the tomato (state fruit), and Tennessee cave salamander (state amphibian)."

Yer famous, I tells Ya!

[Smokin' Joe]

The Violence Policy Center is not a "Gun Safety" group.

What courses in firearm handling do they teach?

What materials on the safe use and care of firearms do they produce?

They have nothing to do with "gun safety", they want to control civilian ownership and use of and eventually ban firearms not in government hands.

[IronJack]

The Barrett ... can "penetrate light armor, down helicopters, destroy commercial aircraft, and blast through rail cars,"

... take out battleships, knock down buildings, destabilize planets, and make the Death Star look like a kid's slingshot.

[ExSES]

Keep in mind that this cartridge is 95+ years old!!! Soon to be an antique!

[ExSES]

Keep in mind that this cartridge is 95+ years old!!! Soon to be an antique!

[TigersEye]

That’s nuthin’! When I was a kid I had a BB gun that killed Godzilla, destroyed the Axis powers (in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters), took down giant Alaskan Brown bears and got me put under house arrest by authority of my father for a certain street light.

And I still have it!