Just picture of me on a quiet little day plinking away with a legal firearm.
Posted on 09/11/2002 6:48:26 AM PDT by boris
You continue to say that you're not anti-gun. That's a lie. You are anti-gun. You aren't anti-crime because you've been told time after time that these weapons aren't used in crime. That means you are anti-gun because you're blaming a gun for something that has never happened in the history of our country.
The number one gun used in crime is the .38 special revolver.
Just picture of me on a quiet little day plinking away with a legal firearm.
It appears that you are somewhat ignorant of firearms, their usage, and capabilities. Let me clear some things up.
Essentially ALL rifles will penetrate police armor with ease. It has nothing to do with the bullet type; it is an inherent property of bullets with that sectional density and muzzle velocity. If you want to ban anything that can punch a hole in cop armor, you would have to ban ALL rifles regardless of "type".
Sniper rifles ARE hunting rifles. The current US military sniper rifle platform (and the platform used by most law enforcement agencies as well) has also been the most popular hunting rifle platform for the last 30 years or so. The US military adopted a hunting platform to be their sniper rifle of choice, not the other way around. Virtually every bolt-action hunting rifle made in the last half century is sufficiently accurate to be used as a sniper weapon. Not that it really matters; being a sniper is more a matter of skills than equipment.
As for automatic weapons, they sound scarier than they actually are. An inexperienced person is unlikely to be able to hit the broad side of a barn at point-blank range on full auto. Furthermore, most professional operators use semi-auto almost exclusively. In a fast and furious firefight the deadliest fellows won't be using full-auto. Full-auto is popular mostly for its novelty, not for its utility in actually hitting things. Most of the people who think full-auto is crazy assume that Hollywood depictions are some vague semblence of reality, when nothing could be further from the truth. In the real world, everyone would survive a Hollywood firefight because no one would have hit anyone else, except by accident or blind luck.
As for the 50BMG, while it typically has limited utility, I don't see what the big deal is either. Due to the current pricing structure for such weapons, it is not even remotely cost-effective for achieving any particular illegal objective. For any purported illegal role it might have, there are cheaper methods that require less skill that will serve equally well, hence why nobody actually uses 50BMG in crimes. That and they are bloody huge and heavy.
Ask any big-city cop what the main "sniper" weapon in his city's riots always has been. It's invariably a .22 squirrel rifle of the discount-store variety.
Far, far more urban killings have been done with .22 squirrel rifles than with .50 BMG rifles that weigh 30 lbs. each. Just a fact. So count on this just being a slippery slope.
GUN REVIEWS free from ad-money bias - emphasizing woman-friendliness of tested guns!
1. ALL, not just SOME, but ALL rifle rounds can pierce armor. This includes just about EVERY hunting round. Some pistol rounds can do so, as well. There is NO class of rounds by this name. The term was coined by anti-gun groups to ban ammunition they didn't like. They just apply as needed.
2. Hunting, like the concept of "need", is nowhere to be found in ANY ammendment to the Bill of Rights, let alone the Second. Neither concept has any bearing upon our current discussion.
3. Most, if not all, hunting rifles (these being rifles equipped, normally, with telescopes and accurizing features) have at some point been used as "sniper" rifles. Once again, there is NO DEDICATED CLASS OF WEAPON by this name. There are only weapons used in the role. Refer to the anti-gun tactic of terminology slander in #1.
4. Automatic weapons ARE in public hands. Approximately 750,000 to be precise. As stated, they are virtually useless in criminal activities.
5. A typical .50 caliber rifle weighs in at 35 pounds, is over a yard and a half long, and costs around $7,500.00, not counting the telescope, which can go for $1000.00 - $5,000.00. The ONLY individuals who purchase, train with, and compete with these rifles (which is their most common use) are well-off advanced hobbyists. Careless fools do not spend this kind of money OR time.
6. Terrorists will use much bigger stuff - airplanes, truck bombs, high explosives, and the like. In any case, no law will stop a well-financed terr from getting what he needs. Besides, any "Abdullah" walking into the type of gun store stocking such hardware (not all do) NOWADAYS would be comitting a grave mistake, tactically speaking.
Oh, and lastly, as some have pointed out, your "feelings" are immaterial to the discussion, being ungrounded in reason, fact, logic, or history (as pointed out, criminals DO NOT use ANY of the weapons types we are discussing. No cop has ever lost his life to any so-called "armor-piercing" bullets, and only one crime has ever been comitted with a legal automatic weapon...in the 1950's, by a cop). They should NEVER be a basis for restricting, or voting to restrict, the rights of another.
WHEW! A long post, but necessary. Please, follow up on what I've said...you'll find it to all be true. I urge you to EDUCATE yourself on ALL such politically-charged topics, lest you be duped by those to whom truth and facts are but obstacles to THEIR continued power. No one here, recall, is seeking power of their own...WE only wish to be left alone.
Basing a Constitution-offensive ban on what would appear to be NOTHING is nothing short of ludicrous. No politician advocating such "they-MIGHT-do-something-someday" nonsensical legislation has ANY business legislating ANYTHING, much less laws regarding taxes, public education, government spending or even dog-waste cleanup. They have, to put it mildly, proven themselves to be imbeciles.
To shift gears a moment, I went to the best gun show I was ever at this weekend -- the Southern Classic at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds. I managed to improve my home defense, via a Charles Daly 12-gauge pump, for only $200.00, new-in-box. Got any ammo recommendations (Mrs. Cut will have to use it, too, and she's 5'1" and 100lbs)? It has a 3-inch Magnum chamber and an 18-inch barrel. It's also got a good recoil pad. Current ammo load is 2 3/4 inch #6 lead shot, for the home security role. I've also got some #1 buckshot. What say ye?
As to CA Guy, I agree, he does have all the buzzwords and strawmen down pat. I'm just hoping it's media effect, not his real ideology. Call me naive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.