Posted on 01/08/2013 5:51:00 AM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal backed banning assault weapons on Tuesday, saying guns like the M4 and M16 belong in the hands of soldiers, not on the streets.
”I spent a career carrying typically either a M16 and later, a M4 carbine,” McChrystal said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And a M4 carbine fires a .223 caliber round, which is 5.56 millimeters, at about 3,000 feet per second. When it hits a human body, the effects are devastating. It’s designed to do that. That’s what our soldiers ought to carry.”
He added, “I personally don’t think there’s any need for that kind of weaponry on the streets and particularly around the schools in America. I believe that we’ve got to take a serious look — I understand everybody’s desire to have whatever they want — we have to protect our children and our police and we have to protect our population. And I think we have to take a very mature look at that.”
McChrystal, who resigned as the top commander in Afghanistan after a Rolling Stone article portrayed him criticizing President Barack Obama, was promoting his memoir, “My Share of the Task.”
Obama is preparing to introduce legislation aiming to prevent mass shootings by the end of the month. Vice President Joe Biden is leading a task force on the issue and is reportedly considering a ban on assault weapons.
“I think we have to look at this legislation,” McChrystal said. “The number of people killed by firearms is extraordinary compared to other nations. I don’t think we’re a bloodthirsty culture, and we need to look at everything we can do to safeguard our people.”
Stanley McChrystal: Al-Qaeda ‘brand’ must be defeated
17 January 2013 Last updated at 20:27 ET
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21070162
The former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, has said al-Qaeda was able to appeal to societies that were unhappy and had few prospects.
The al-Qaeda brand became a “powerful lever” for people’s frustrations, Gen McChrystal said.
He told the BBC’s Katty Kay that the fight against al-Qaeda was best seen as an effort to “stop the spread of a branding process”.
Referring to the US effort in Afghanistan, Gen McChrystal said that deeper cultural awareness could have made the mission more effective.
Local language skills, for example, could have made a “huge difference”, he said, adding the US had only a “cursory understanding” of Afghanistan when operations began there.
Have you ever seen what a 12 gauge shotgun slug will do? It is devastating. It is a lot less pretty than the coyote killer 5.56mm.
...another Perfumed Prince...
He’s a “Girly Man” whose big moment came when he had an interview with Rolling Stone..typical Lib.
He’s a “Girly Man” whose big moment came when he had an interview with Rolling Stone..typical Lib.
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