Posted on 10/10/2002 6:26:34 PM PDT by Dallas
WASHINGTON --
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee called on federal officials Thursday to investigate the marketing of sniper rifles, saying the weapons "pose a real danger to the civilian population."
The request from Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., came as the Washington metropolitan area was being terrorized by a string of nine shootings, including seven deaths, by what police believe to be an elusive gunman. Each of the victims was hit by a single bullet fired from a distance, using a military-style rifle or hunting rifle.
Conyers wants the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the marketing of military rifles to the American public. "There is no legitimate purpose for a military rifle than to make war," Conyers said. "There is no reason these rifles should be marketed to civilians."
Conyers complained that ads for military style rifles boast of being able to shoot down airplanes and helicopters, and shooting through armored vehicles. "Sniper rifles pose a real danger to the civilian population," he said.
The FTC opened an investigation into the marketing of violent movies, music and video games to children after a series of school shootings, including the Littleton, Colo., massacre at Columbine High School in which two students killed 13 people before committing suicide, Conyers said.
The FTC said it would consider the request.
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee called on federal officials Thursday to investigate the marketing of sniper rifles, saying the weapons "pose a real danger to the civilian population."
Such irrationality that our taxes dollars are wasted on. Does Conyers not know that guns are inanimate objects and cannot kill people -- that it is people that kill people?
Come out John Conyers, step into the debate in an open public forum. Step out from behind your protective media shield. I'm just a working-class man. Surely with your great intellect you have nothing to fret over. ...Or do you?
"There is no legitimate purpose for a military rifle than to make war," Conyers said.
Target shooting, hunting and home protection. There's no legitimate purpose for irrational politicians that demonstrate that they don't comprehend that guns -- inanimate objects that they are -- cannot hurt people. Only people can chose to hurt people. In this case it is you John Conyers that has chosen to harm people by becoming an irrational politician.
"There is no reason these rifles should be marketed to civilians."
The reason is that there is market demand for them. Again, John Conyers, you demonstrate your incompetence. Worse, it is irrationality and incompetence such as yours that us working-class men and woman are forced at the barrel of a gun to pay your salary. Forced to pay your salary so that you and your cronies in congress can continue creating 3,000 new laws and regulations each year.
As if somehow people and society could not continue to prosper without those 3,000 new laws this year and 3,000 new laws next year, year after year. How is that us working-class men and women were able to increase prosperity and well being for years and decades prior without this year's new laws, yet suddenly you and your cronies proclaim that we working-class men and women will run headlong into destruction without you and your cronies creating all those new laws.
War of Two Worlds
Value Creators versus Value Destroyers
The first thing civilization must have is business/science. It's what the family needs so that its members can live creative, productive, happy lives. Business/science can survive, even thrive without government/bureaucracy.
Government/bureaucracy cannot survive without business/science. In general, business/science and family is the host and government/bureaucracy is a parasite.
Keep valid government services that protect individual rights and property. ...Military defense, FBI, CIA, police and courts. With the rest of government striped away those few valid services would be several fold more efficient and effective than they are today.
Underwriters Laboratory is a private sector business that has to compete in a capitalist market. Underwriters laboratory is a good example of success where government fails.
Any government agency that is a value to people and society -- which there are but a few -- could much more effectively serve people by being in the private sector where competition demands maximum performance.
Wake up! They are the parasites. We are the host. We don't need them. They need us.
1) there is no record of any crime ever having been committed using a .50 BMG rifle.
2) the current "sniping" going on is using a .223 Remington, one of the weakest centerfire cartridges in existence. Contrary to published reports, it is not "high power."
3) There is no such thing as a "military rifle." There is no such thing as an "assault rifle" (more properly known as 'homeland defense rifles' - HDR). Rifles are tools and any rifle can be used in a number of ways. Typical rifle systems used by the military and police for sniper and counter-sniper roles are in fact scoped bolt-action or semi-auto rifles with flat shooting rounds (.308 Winchester or the small varmint rounds). They also happen to be perfect candidates for deer hunting or varmint hunting (which is a lot like sniping).
4)Nothing I have read so far indicates if they know whether it is bolt-action, semi-auto, or some other type of rifle. Given the range and accuracy, it is probably scoped, but there is no way for them to know until they see the rifle. They can't tell what color it is either. For all they know, it could be a hot-pink Armalite or a purple polka-dotted white plastic stock on a Browning A-bolt. It could even be a Ruger single-shot.
5) Talk to somebody who fought in World War II, like Guadacanal or the Phillipines. They will tell you the truth about whether rifles can knock down low-level slow flying airplanes or not. They can't unless they get an incredibly lucky one in a trillion shot. The same is true for armored vehicles. Any soldier who served at the Battle of the Bulge will tell you how easy it was to knock out tanks with their Garand, BAR, or M1903 "sniper rifles."
6)If the Congressman isn't smart enough to tell the difference between a parody ad on the internet (.50BMG for under $30 joke ad by Birdman) and a real ad, then his family should seek a comptency hearing because he is not fit to manage anyone's affairs.
7)If there is such a danger, then Conyers should tell us the technical difference between a scoped deer rifle (.270, .308, or .30-06) and any sub-.50BMG "sniper system" he is scared of and why it is more lethal or more dangerous.
He lives in a district populated with a sufficient number of people too stupid to recognize the stupidity of Conyers. They also lack any self respect -- to allow themselves to be represented by such a incompetent clymer.
Semper Fi
Politicians like Conyers are EXACTLY why rifles like these should be in civilian hands.
But various statements by Patrick Henry put it so much more eloquently than I could.
Two reasons:
(a) He is of the same ethnicity as the majority of voters in his district; and
(B)They are even farther down the bell curve than he is.
How's THAT for euphemism?
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