"There is no legitimate civilian purpose for this gun," he said, There is no civilian use for you either, you piece of dog Sh|T.
Posted on 10/22/2001 9:11:23 AM PDT by NativeNewYorker
CHICAGO, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- An Illinois congressman plans to reintroduce legislation to ban private ownership of the military's most powerful rifle, a 50-caliber sniper weapon that can fire a bullet more than 4 miles, piercing tank armor, concrete bunkers and bulletproof glass, according to reports Monday.
Rep. Rod Blagojevich, D-Ill., a candidate for Illinois governor, said the world has changed and there's no reason for civilians to own rifles that are " ideal tools for assassination and terrorism."
The long-range military sniper rifles were designed for use during the Persian Gulf War. Suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden's al Qaida group reportedly may have at least two dozen of the Barrett rifles.
The Washington-based Violence Policy Center, a national gun control group, said in a study Afghan fighters received 25 of the military sniper rifles in the late 1980s, just months before the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and presumably still have them.
"You can conceivably fire one of these weapons from the John Hancock building and hit the right field bleachers at Wrigley Field," Blagojevich told a Sunday news conference. "It poses a tremendous threat to commercial aviation travel. It also poses an obvious threat to even the president of the United States."
Blagojevich, who sponsored a bill to ban the rifle in 1999, held up a more than 5-inch-long sniper cartridge for reporters. He said the rifles and armor- piercing ammunition could be purchased at gun shops and on the Internet more easily than a handgun.
"There is no legitimate civilian purpose for this gun," he said, adding the Congressional General Accounting Office had traced the rifles to "suspected terrorist groups, drug cartels, a doomsday cult in Montana, a white supremacist group in Louisiana and a mentally ill cop killer in Michigan."
"These arms were designed by the military and should be left to the military, " he said.
The Illinois State Rifle Association, which represents 1.5 million gun owners, Monday, issued a statement accusing Blagojevich of fear-mongering against lawful firearm ownership for political purposes.
"Blagojevich warned fans of the Chicago Cubs that they could soon become targets for terrorist snipers firing at them from the roof of the Sears Tower," the group said. "The truth of the matter is that Cub fans have a lot more to fear from the paroled habitual felon than they do from the prospect of a terrorist lugging a 30 pound, 5-foot-long rifle up 110 flights of stairs to the roof of the Sears Tower."
Translation:
"If I keep pushing my statist agenda I may be facing on of these puppies".
Boonie Rat
MACV SOCOM, PhuBai/Hue '65-66
Sniper Rifle Owner: Ban Congressman
There is now!
How many miles would your shoulder fly in the other direction? I assume the recoil must be astounding!
The worst mass murder in United States history involved how many guns again, you knee-jerk 100%-thought-free a&&wipe?!?!?!
Go worry about terrorism, Congressputz. *I* will tend to my own personal safety. Lawd knows YOU won't do anything to really make me safe, like pass some tougher immigration and visa laws.
Afterall, about 90% of all the stuff the average American owns is not necessary, it is just stuff we want!!
They were designed for, not by the military. So was the .45 cal Model 1911 semi-auto handgun. Should those be banned from private hands because they were once used by the military?
Really? Couldn't he have provided a link?
I want one now.
what a total load of BS. What is really astounding is that Blagojevich is still alive, considering he's almost too stupid to breathe without someone telling him. On the other hand maybe someone told him about one of his spiritual predecessors, Reinhardt Heidrich
"There is no legitimate civilian purpose for this gun," he said, There is no civilian use for you either, you piece of dog Sh|T.
I want one of these things in the worst way!
30.06 ammunition has a warning label that its range is over 7 miles.
As far as recoil goes, it mainly depends on the weight of the rifle. A thirty pound rifle reduces the recoil to the 12-gauge shotgun level.
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