Posted on 02/25/2008 8:38:35 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
A battle is brewing between the Honolulu Police Department and the Hawaii Rifle Association over a proposed ban of a high-powered sniper rifle.
KITV's Catherine Cruz reported that the 50-caliber rifle is dubbed the most powerful rifle on the market today, and the HPD said it is their worst nightmare. That is why they said they want it out of civilian hands.
It's a weapon that's long been used by the military and law enforcement, but in most states, a person can buy it over the Internet or from a gun store, which is making law enforcement uneasy.
"There is nothing we have that can withstand this. If you look at an armored car, those things have a half-inch of steel. These can go through 1 inch of steel at a thousand yards," HPD Major Gregory Lefcourt said.
The rifle can fire 10 rounds in 10 seconds, and the bullets can travel for miles, police officials said.
They said that a shot fired from the rooftop at police headquarters could precisely hit a target at the state Capitol, four-tenths of a mile away.
The National Guard calls the weapon a threat to homeland security.
"It does concern us -- shooting down airplanes four miles distances," Hawaii National Guard Gen.Gary Ishikawa said.
The National Rifle Association said that a ban would infringe on the right to bear arms. It argued that the weapon hasn't ever been used in a crime in the islands.
"We haven't had any incidents of robbers at banks or terrorist shooting airplanes -- it just doesn't happen," HRA member Mark Plischke said.
But police said they don't want to wait until then.
They said the proposed ban will die in the judiciary committee if they don't get enough public support for the bill.
The rifles are outlawed for civilian use in California, New Jersey and New York.
The HRA maintained that their members use it for hunting or eradicating goats. Others users of the rifle said they enter long range firing competitions
The rifle is so powerful that it has been banned from the Kokohead Firing Range, range officials said. The rifle is only allowed at military ranges, which are off limits to civilians.
It is also very expensive. One rifle will fetch about $8,000, officials said.
There are 125 registered owners of the high-powered rifle in the state, with 90 owners living on Oahu.
Aww, give the poor liberal SoldierDad some slack.
At least he has a son he can be proud of even if his own consciense is hopelessly flawed.
But now you’ve gone and scared him away with all of your brutal logic...
“So, you wish to try and compare the late 1700’s with today?”
Oooh, I have to take a swing at that one.
The entire Bill of Rights dates back to the late 1700s.
If the right to keep and bear arms is obsolete because of time, what else is?
Do you feel that freedom of speech and the press are obsolete? After all, words have incited far more carnage through the ages than firearms.
How about the ban against laws prohibiting the free exercise religion? After all, if it wasn’t for those Islamic wackos, we would not be at war right now. Religion has caused more death and wars than any amount of firearms.
Is the need for an indictment by a grand jury as a prequisite for a criminal charge being filed obsolete? After all, that is merely a late 17th-century concept that makes it harder to put criminals behind bars.
Ditto the right against self-incrimination. The *only* people that benefits are the guilty.
Trial by jury is so expensive. What justification can we use to continue that, given modern realities? Think how its abolition would streamline judiciary procedings.
I could go on, but my point remains — if age alone makes one right obsolete, why doesn’t age put them all at risk?
http://www.impactguns.com/store/barrett.html
They are an internet FFL. Ship to your FFL. Works slick.
Sorry pal... A .50BMG rifle isn't going to be used by terrorists to "terrorize" the population. They're too big, heavy, and clumsy. A much smaller rifle in .223 used by a sniper HAS been used for just that purpose. Remember the Washington, DC snipers? If anything, a .50BMG sniper rifle is more of an anti-terrorist weapon than anything else. No, a rifle like this isn't something that we need to be worried about when it comes to terrorists... They tend to plan on a much larger scale.
Mark
The socialist believe you can buy a gun on the internet.You are repeating their propaganda.
You still need to visit an FFL and get a background check.
Note the Supreme Court's holding in US v. Miller, which is consistent with the text and original intent of the Second Amendment. The Court held that the test for whether the right to own a firearm is protected by the Second Amendment is whether it has a legitimate MILITARY use, not "civilian" use. The people are SUPPOSED to be able to out-gun a tyrannical government!
See #165
That's an argument against ALL guns, not just .50's. Hell, it's an argument against private pilot's lessons. You against those, too?
“However what about explosive decompression if said jetliner is at altitude?”
Watch “Mythbusters” on Discovery Channel, they have covered this.
And you're showing that you don't seem to grasp the concept of "rights." First off, you DO have the right to express your opinion, as do the rest of us, in as much JimRob will allow it here, since this is HIS forum. But I haven't seen anyone calling for you to be banned, or censoring your posts. You're being flamed. You've expressed you opinions, as is your right. However, your "right" to express an opinion doesn't keep others from expressing their opinions ABOUT your opinions. Hence the flames. Maybe your feelings have been hurt by others' opinions here. But that's all a part of "freedom of speech."
So show me exactly where your "freedom of speech" has been infringed.
Mark
Now way - Chuck would just roundhouse the plane.
That leaves us with only moderately effective weapons that are EITHER...neither military nor civilian in nature...OR...both military and civilian in nature.
Folks, they’ve defined it in such a convoluted manner that if you ignore the constitution and just go by precedence, allowable weaponry is whatever the whimsical government chooses to allow at any given moment.
Try "the general" is a really brazen liar, confident in the knowledge that he won't get called on his lies by the liberal anti-gun media. The more recent ZPU-4 using 14.5x114 WHICH IS TWICE AS POWERFUL AS THE BMG .50 ROUND, has an effective altitude of 1400meters and a max EFFECTIVE range of 2200 meters - about 1 1/3 miles
I suspect the decompression factor lessens the closer to earth an aircraft is. If a plane were close enough to the ground to be hit by a 50 cal, the decompression would be too minimul to be a real problem. The aircraft would have to land.
Unless the munition hit a critical component, the aircraft would probably not be taken out. Even hitting the thing at distance is almost impossible.
Just in case you desire to flame me once again. Take note that I have not said I want a law banning this weapon. You may assume what you will from my comments, but I never stated I wanted the Feds to pass a law regarding gun ownership. I only stated I, personally, would not have a problem with this weapon not being in the hands of civilians. Now, interpret that as you will.
WHen I was a kid, the common belief was that a 22 long rifle was theoretically capable of killing a man from a distance of one mile. Of course, your rifle had to be elevated to approx 40 degrees obove horizontal and there’s no way to aim. BUT IN THEORY...
So I guess we’d better round up all the 22s out there and stop selling them to the general public.
My comment was made tongue in cheek just to point out the problem with people claiming I'm trying to take away their 2nd Amendment rights.
Now do you see how silly your post is?
An A-10 carries fewer than 1200 rounds for its GAU-8 cannon. But then it usually only shoots at ground targets. Total firepower limits the A-10 to about 20 seconds or so of continuous fire, so short bursts are the norm.
Mark
And it wasn’t the ‘hole’ that brought down the plane as there were plenty of them — particularly large ones to shoot out of. What brought the plane down were the hundreds of rounds that hit vital components, fuel lines, and pilots.
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