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LOS ANGELES FIRST CITY IN NATION TO VOTE TO BAN 50 CALIBER SNIPER RIFLES
Violence Policy Center ^ | 9/24/02 | Violence Policy Center

Posted on 09/24/2002 2:03:46 PM PDT by kabuki

LOS ANGELES FIRST CITY IN NATION TO VOTE TO BAN 50 CALIBER SNIPER RIFLES

WASHINGTON, DC—The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today applauded the Los Angeles City Council for passing a ban on the sale and possession of 50 caliber sniper rifles. This marks the first time that a legislative body has voted to ban these weapons of war. The groundbreaking measure was sponsored by Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas and passed unanimously.

The legislative effort, which received strong support from the LA Police Department, was spearheaded by the Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles, aided by the Pacific Center for Violence Prevention, and based on research by the Violence Policy Center (VPC).

“With today’s unanimous vote to ban 50 caliber sniper rifles, the City of Los Angeles has sent a very strong and clear message to California and the rest of the nation: We must bring these weapons of death and destruction under control,” Tom Diaz, VPC senior policy analyst states.

The Council instructed the City Attorney to model the new measure regulating 50 caliber sniper weapons on the city ordinance restricting the sale and possession of assault weapons. The VPC was the first organization in the country to alert the American public to the dangers of 50 caliber sniper rifles on the civilian market with its landmark 1999 study, One Shot, One Kill: Civilian Sales of Military Sniper Rifles.

The 50 caliber sniper rifle is an extremely powerful weapon which uses high-caliber ammunition at distances averaging between 400 and 1,700 yards. These same military armaments—designed and sold for the express purpose of killing people and disabling key command and control outposts—are now freely available across America's gun shop counters. As a result, this ideal tool for assassination and destruction is now easily accessible to terrorists, criminals, and the mentally unstable. The VPC continued to warn lawmakers and the public of the dangers of 50 calibers in its 2001 study Voting from the Rooftops: How the Gun Industry Armed Osama bin Laden, Other Foreign and Domestic Terrorists, and Common Criminals with 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles, which explains the enormous range of 50 caliber sniper rifles, the explosive power of special armor- piercing and armor-piercing incendiary ammunition easily available in the United States, and why this war-fighting power in the hands of Al Qaeda and other terrorists creates a grave threat to all Americans. The study also details: how 50 caliber sniper rifles can create disaster at industrial facilities handling explosive, toxic, or volatile chemicals—the kind of threat terrorism analysts already warn transforms a target into a weapon; a report for the Air Force which warns that 50 caliber sniper rifles endanger aircraft, bulk fuel tanks, fuel trucks, and other airport targets; and, the rash of 50 caliber sniper rifles found in the arsenals of domestic terrorist and extremist groups, including one that plotted to kill a state governor, U.S. Senator, and federal judges. “We have made extensive research available to Attorney General John Ashcroft, the FBI, and key officials throughout the U.S.,” Diaz adds. “We call on them to support the pending legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Henry Waxman.” *** To obtain a copy of any of the VPC 50 caliber studies please call Naomi Seligman at 202.822.8200 X105 or visit the VPC website at www.vpc.org. —END—


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: banglist
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To: ErnBatavia
I stand corrected in it is Hathcock.
Basically they scoped a modified tripod mounted m2 on a hill top.
Then sighted it in.
61 posted on 09/24/2002 3:39:06 PM PDT by b fair
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To: b fair
What memories; just Google-ized him and read his bio...hero

Semper Fi, Gunny....

62 posted on 09/24/2002 4:18:13 PM PDT by ErnBatavia
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To: Trailerpark Badass; RISU; SAJ; Wisconsin
I think he meant the king of SWEDEN. Sweden, like Switzerland, also has a militia system and was accordingly left alone by the Nazis.
63 posted on 09/24/2002 4:20:13 PM PDT by Rytwyng
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To: toddst
10-4 on Elmer Keith and big bore pistols.

I was on a B52 mission down in the Parrot's Beak one time that killed an elephant with a 750-lb. bomb. I remember thinking at the time that even Elmer Keith would have had to admit we were adaquately 'gunned'.

64 posted on 09/24/2002 5:39:11 PM PDT by Grut
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To: b fair
I forgot about the Boyes .50 BMG.

You could buy them mail-order up through the late '50s for not too much money. It wasn't .50 BMG, though; it shot some kind of rimmed .55 calibre cartridge.

65 posted on 09/24/2002 5:44:02 PM PDT by Grut
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To: RISU
Our second Ammendment was modeled on the Swiss "right to bear arms" in the home

No it wasn't, the Swiss didn't have a constitution until 1848. Our founding fathers created our Second Amendment via first hand experience in dealing with a tyranical government......

66 posted on 09/24/2002 5:54:57 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: Joe Brower
Why do you spell Molon Labe with two Ws instead of two Os?
67 posted on 09/24/2002 7:01:18 PM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig
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To: ErnBatavia
This is who made my M82A1 rifle...
www.barrettrifles.com/
68 posted on 09/24/2002 7:51:18 PM PDT by B4Ranch
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To: kabuki
50 caliber sniper rifles

Notice that 50 caliber has now become synonymous with sniper in the California lexicon.

50 caliber is to sniper as conservative is to despot can't be far behind.

69 posted on 09/24/2002 7:54:22 PM PDT by Amerigomag
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To: hoosierskypilot
"7.69's "

A sexy gun?

70 posted on 09/24/2002 8:05:51 PM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: Rebelbase
Sorry. I was in a hurry. It's 7.62.
71 posted on 09/24/2002 8:31:41 PM PDT by hoosierskypilot
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To: b fair
My Weatherby .460 can do this too. For that matter my model 70 in 300H&H can reach out to over a 1000 yards easily.

Don't worry... Your guns are next.

72 posted on 09/24/2002 9:43:53 PM PDT by AStack75
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To: anniegetyourgun
Whew!
I can breathe a little easier now!
This rash of drive-by shootings with .50 caliber weapons was really worrying me!
73 posted on 09/24/2002 9:50:05 PM PDT by COB1
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To: two23
"I have never seen .223's referred to as "assault weapons"..."

It's not the caliber which makes it an assault weapon; it's the design.
My H&K .223 is an assault weapon.

74 posted on 09/24/2002 9:57:30 PM PDT by COB1
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To: ErnBatavia
When I was in the Corps, we had a demonstration of a water cooled .50 machine gun of WW II vintage taking on a heavily timbered bunker.
Half a belt later, the bunker no longer existed!
75 posted on 09/24/2002 10:01:12 PM PDT by COB1
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To: ErnBatavia
GY/SGT CARLOS N. HATHCOCK

The original:

ONE SHOT, ONE KILL!


76 posted on 09/24/2002 10:06:26 PM PDT by COB1
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To: COB1
"It's not the caliber which makes it an assault weapon; it's the design." My H&K .223 is an assault weapon.

I asked this question to the person who made a statement that sounded odd to me, and he/she then replied:

"Acually I meant 5.56 I was thinking something else when I wrote this.

I gotcha tho--thanks...I hardly see my Rem Model 7, bolt-action (.223) as an assault rifle! I do enjoy taking it outside on the range tho.!!!!

77 posted on 09/24/2002 10:17:02 PM PDT by two23
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To: big ern
He was probably using an HTML tag to set the font to Symbol in order to show the actual omega character, which your browser probably does not support.
78 posted on 09/24/2002 11:58:21 PM PDT by mvpel
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To: big ern
Why do you spell Molon Labe with two Ws instead of two Os?

CLICK HERE

79 posted on 09/25/2002 2:02:55 AM PDT by Joe Brower
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To: mvpel; big ern
Good call, MP. What browser are you using, big ern?

Check out the link in my post #79 and see if it shows up there.

80 posted on 09/25/2002 2:04:28 AM PDT by Joe Brower
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