[in the Arena]

Travis: A fifty caliber rifle which can hit a 3' circle at 2,000 yards would be able to hit the 12' diameter jet intake at a mile with no problem.

While a 12' target at 1760 yards is within the realm of a match grade .50 caliber bench rest rifle, the odds of making that shot are greatly reduced when you factor that the target is Moving at High Speed and add to that the odds of a shooter being directly on the centerline of the intake.

right_to_defend: Yes, it makes sense to me. I always figured a SAM was necessary to bring down a jet. But if you can buy a rifle in K-Mart that can do it, I'm almost surprised it hasn't happened before.

Are you sure your not Dianne Feinstein ?

All this talk of a shooter is wild speculation and is playing into the hands of HCI and the anit-gun lobby.

[Travis McGee]

Give me a break. I am one of the most ardent RKBA supporters on FR, but it does no one any good to apply selective ignorance to very real possibilities.

A head on shot at a 12' circular target coming straight at the shooter at under 2,000 yards would not be hard to accomplish.

I doubt this caused today's crash, but it could cause tomorrow's. My solution has nothing to do with gun control, but the moving of our NG troops from inside the terminals to the approaches.

[185JHP]

Actually the shot is doable - right guy at the right place with the right piece. There are .338 Lapua shooters who aim at a 9" gong @ 1500 meters, and they ring it consistently.