That "one to four miles" stuff is for a .50 cal BMG, I suspect (which isn't the rifle in use by the East coast sniper, but anti-gunners aren't ones to let facts get in the way of a good story). That's the next anti-gun crusade: Los Angeles has alread banned them.
It's the american public in general that's actually guilty of this. We just believe statements like these are true and go along with them without demanding any real facts. You would be surprised at how many gun owners believe this stuff. If the majority of people would call these statements into account, they would stop.