Posted on 10/15/2002 3:27:20 AM PDT by kattracks
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Much attention has been focused on the "rifle" used to shoot ten people, killing eight of them, in the Washington, D.C., area. But what if the so-called "Beltway Sniper" isn't using a rifle?
"We're willing, at this point, and able to say that from a 90-percent accuracy, we're dealing with a high-speed-velocity round," Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said Oct. 4, the morning after four people were murdered in the same day.
"We're dealing with someone shooting from a distance," he continued, "someone using a high-velocity round, 90 percent sure that it is a .223 round from a rifle."
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) later displayed four "samples" of various rifles chambered for .223 ammunition, the round police say has been used in each of the shootings.
Investigators also displayed a number of carrying cases commonly used to transport the types of rifles shown to the media. Authorities have encouraged citizens to phone their toll-free tip line if they see anyone in the area of one of the shootings with a rifle, or with one of the carrying cases.
The public has also been encouraged to contact police about anyone who owns a .223 rifle, who has been acting in a suspicious or unusual manner since the murders began Oct.2.
But Neal Knox - former president of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, who now heads the Firearms Coalition - warned Monday that authorities may be overlooking another possible weapon in the murders - a handgun chambered in the .223 or similar caliber.
Hand-fired weapons capable of firing the .223 or similar rounds include three that provide for the mounting of a telescopic sight, which would improve accuracy at the 100 to 150-yard range from which investigators believe the sniper is firing.
One of the weapons is the Kimber Predator, a modified version of Kimber's M-85 bolt-action rifle. Another is the Remington "Fireball," a bolt-action handgun chambered for the .221 caliber, which was first produced in the mid-1960s. The third is the Thompson Contender, a single shot, "break open" style gun, which is "capable of serious long range shooting," according to the company's website.
The killer has fired a single shot in each of the attacks.
"Because it's smaller, either a Contender or Fireball would be ideal for sniping from a car if you had a sandbag between the butt and the window frame," Knox explained.
Glenn Beach, an ATF firearms examiner, acknowledged the existence of handguns that fire .223 rounds, but claimed they are rarely used, "especially when you're dealing with long ranges, for accuracy's sake."
Dennis Jackson, an advisor to Armed Females of America, disagreed. He told CNSNews.com Monday that it is "very realistic" to consider the possibility that the shooter could be using such a firearm.
"They are accurate for a handgun," said Jackson, who has fired the Thompson Contender. "People need to think outside the box."
Knox estimated the accuracy of the .223 or similar caliber handguns at "about one inch at 100 yards."
"I've shot Fireballs that were capable of 1/4-inch, center-to-center, five shots at 100 yards," he added. "That's as good as the very best specially modified AR-15 [semi-automatic rifles], and as good as many bench rifles."
Handguns chambered for .223 are typically less than 18 inches in total length and approximately 6 inches tall. They could be easily concealed in a nylon or hard sided briefcase, or a padded bag made especially for handgun storage and carrying.
After the eighth murder occurred near Fredericksburg, VA, Friday, authorities closed several interstate highways and other major arteries to search white vans fitting the description of one seen leaving the location of the shooting. Observers noted that police seemed to be quickly looking inside the vehicles for a rifle or storage container similar to the ones shown to the media.
"They're looking for a needle in a haystack because [the .223] is such a common round," Jackson noted. "This is giving them another alternative."
Chief Moose refused to answer questions Monday about the specific type of weapon the sniper might be using, saying, "We didn't come out here to speculate."
Police have been tight-lipped about details of the investigation since media outlets reported the discovery of a tarot card inscribed with the words, "Mr. Policeman, I am God," at one of the crime scenes. Critics say authorities are too concerned with building a criminal case, and that releasing more details could help friends, family members or coworkers of the killer identify him as a potential suspect.
E-mail a news tip to Jeff Johnson.
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Diversion. Shot fired and one vehicle takes off. Fast enough to be noticed, by witnesses, this would give the shooter a little cover for getting out in the opposite direction/alternate route?
This article is all about publicity for Neal Knox. He wants press.
Why would a terrorist shooter (let's get rid of the "sniper" word) select a weapon that's more difficult to use than a simple rifle? His objective is to kill and remain at a safe distance (for him.) This is just more Neal Knox efforts to get publicity for himself, this time as some sort of gun "expert." What garbage.
Speaking of "what if", the thing I hadn't thought of, as someone posted in this thread, is "what if" the .223 casing was a throwdown and he/they are really using some other type/caliber weapon? Has enough forensic evidence been recovered to verify the bullet caliber/type besides the .223 casing?
Link to entry with photos of xp-100, contender, and a glock 20 modified to fire .224 BOZ.
Because it makes other parts of his task a lot easier, and it is not always more difficult to use. In some ways, it is easier to use.
His objective is to kill and remain at a safe distance (for him.)
His objective is also to get away and to remain at large. If the police don't bother checking locked breifcases because they are too small to contain a rifle, that could be a big advantage.
This is just more Neal Knox efforts to get publicity for himself, this time as some sort of gun "expert." What garbage.
As Neal Knox won at least one national bench rest championship, I'd say he qualifies as an expert. This is a possibility that the police seem to be overlooking. Most police administrators, especially back east, are ignorant about guns.
I have followed Neal's career for a couple of decades now, and of all the people associated with the NRA, he has been the most consistantly truthful.
A rifle is also a fairly clumsy weapon to shoot from a car, but something along the lines of a TC Contender in .223 fits perfectly.
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