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Livermore:Lab Gatling guns frighten some;others feel safe Weapons-protect facility from terrorists
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | February 4, 2006 | Henry K.Lee

Posted on 02/04/2006 6:49:45 PM PST by Amerigomag

Word that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will install a battery of machine guns capable of spitting out 66 rounds a second with a range of nearly a mile was met by relief by some who think the weapons will deter terrorists but fear by others who worry they'll be caught in the line of fire.

The guns, which the lab unveiled to much ado Thursday but has not yet installed, are meant to protect the laboratory's cache of radioactive plutonium, which terrorists might try to steal or destroy, sending a plume over much of the Livermore Valley. The weapons, called Gatling guns because they are multibarreled like their 19th century counterparts, fire up to 4,000 rounds a minute from six barrels.

The Gatling guns are far more powerful than anything the local police have in their arsenal, and Livermore police Capt. Mark Weiss said the lab has fully briefed the department on the weapons. Police Chief Steve Krull and other city officials work closely with the lab and support the new weaponry, said Livermore Vice Mayor Marj Leider, herself a retired nuclear chemist at the lab.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events; US: California; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: banglist; doe; gatlingguns; lawrencelivermore; miltech; radlab
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1 posted on 02/04/2006 6:49:47 PM PST by Amerigomag
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To: Amerigomag
Oooooooooohhhhhhh noooooooooo! Not big scary guns!!

The thought that Livermore, population 80,000, has an arsenal capable of shooting down a helicopter seems at odds with its motto of being "a friendly, dynamic community."

Seems to me they're underprepared. They need to be ready to take down a 747.
2 posted on 02/04/2006 6:53:20 PM PST by BubbaTheRocketScientist
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To: Amerigomag

Those goofy Californians will get their panties in a bunch over anything cool.


3 posted on 02/04/2006 6:54:26 PM PST by Firefigher NC (You light ‘em, we fight ‘em!)
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To: BubbaTheRocketScientist
Now the administration wants to protect the nukes? When will the maddess end?
4 posted on 02/04/2006 6:55:09 PM PST by bybybill (If the Rats win, we are doomed)
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To: Amerigomag

If those Gatling guns ever jump the fence and start roaming through the neighborhood, there could be BIG trouble.....


5 posted on 02/04/2006 6:55:28 PM PST by Frank_2001
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To: Amerigomag

Happiness is a belt-fed weapon... doubly so for a gatling gun.


6 posted on 02/04/2006 6:55:45 PM PST by Little_shoe ("For Sailor MEN in Battle fair since fighting days of old have earned the right.to the blue and gold)
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To: Amerigomag

These are the same idiots that will complain after an attack in their town that "someone should have done something".

Here's your something...Its got 6 barrels and it shoots fast. Next problem.


7 posted on 02/04/2006 6:56:00 PM PST by dinok
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To: Amerigomag

Talk about closing the barn doors after the cows have already left!


8 posted on 02/04/2006 6:56:40 PM PST by operation clinton cleanup (Bart: Mom, can we go to bed without dinner?)
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To: Varmint Al

your turf ping


9 posted on 02/04/2006 6:58:02 PM PST by umgud (uncompassionate conservative)
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To: Firefigher NC

Amen


10 posted on 02/04/2006 6:59:21 PM PST by Flavius (Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: Amerigomag

Leave it to the antique SF Chronicle to cite two ignorant twenty-somethings for contrarian POV. In addition, they included the old anti-gun diatribe that the guns might "go off on their own" and thus injure innocents. It's no wonder that the public at large is rapidly concluding that MSM "reporting" is simply idiotic nonsense.


11 posted on 02/04/2006 7:01:36 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (A Liberal: One who demands half of your pie because he didn't bake one.)
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To: Amerigomag

Get some!


12 posted on 02/04/2006 7:01:56 PM PST by Probus
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To: Frank_2001

I am pretty sure that you don't just carry that one around with a shoulder strap. There was another gun released recently that puts over 200000 rounds a minute in the air. Now I would like to see that. The bullets are designed to be stacked on top of each other and electronically detonated. You can let all the ammo fly at once, or you can fire the shells individually.


13 posted on 02/04/2006 7:02:57 PM PST by willyd
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To: Amerigomag

I got the feeling the only one confused in this short article was the "journalist".


14 posted on 02/04/2006 7:04:26 PM PST by ansel12
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To: willyd

well, maybe the governator would carry one.


15 posted on 02/04/2006 7:05:12 PM PST by NonValueAdded ("If I were a Cuban, I'd certainly be on a raft," Isane Aparicio Busto)
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To: BubbaTheRocketScientist
Seems to me they're underprepared.

Probably just about right.

RPGs typically have an aimed range limit of about 250 meters and a lobbed range of about 1000 meters which fits the specs for the gatlings nicely.

Probably not wise for nearby residents to let strangers into their back yards carrying RPGs.

16 posted on 02/04/2006 7:05:56 PM PST by Amerigomag
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To: Firefigher NC

Years ago, when skiing at one particular area, you could hear them test firing. Can't remember what caliber, though.


17 posted on 02/04/2006 7:07:18 PM PST by Calvin Locke
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To: Amerigomag

A thing of unquestionable beauty.

18 posted on 02/04/2006 7:07:20 PM PST by DJ Taylor (Once again our country is at war, and once again the Democrats have sided with our enemy.)
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To: Mad_Tom_Rackham
I concluded that long ago. But it does seem to me that if these mini-guns are in 5.56mm, they might actually be under armed.

Now, if they're the 7.62mm variant I'd say that's about right. They'd be perfect for shredding some jihadi with an RPG at 800 meters or so.

L

19 posted on 02/04/2006 7:09:00 PM PST by Lurker (In God I trust. Everybody else shows me their hands.)
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To: DJ Taylor

Phalanx: the art of diplomacy.


20 posted on 02/04/2006 7:10:48 PM PST by Amerigomag
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