That’s a big gun
News says Fort Hood killer used a a 5.7-caliber semiautomatic pistol. I think they mean the FN FiveseveN, which is close to a .22 caliber.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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November 6th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
That’s quite the odd pistol to go on a rampage with. If true, it leads me to believe this was planned out well in advance. You don’t just find a FN fiveseven laying around pawnshops.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Que Brady Campaign “FiveSeven = Cop killer/mata policia” talking points in 3 – 2 -1 . . . .
November 6th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I’m surprised as well, as it’s a relatively uncommon pistol and round, at least around these parts.
I too think this is going to stir the ‘no valid use’ chorus.
Regards,
Rabbit.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
That is interesting. If it turns out he was using military/police ammo then it does lead one to suspect terrorism. But alternatively, he could have purchased the gun for no other reason than they are good firearms, politically incorrect and likely a decent investment for future appreciation.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
The problem with the FiveseveN is that is really is difficult to defend. Sure, you and I know that it’s not really any more appreciably deadly in civilian form than a .22 magnum rifle, but when the media/Brady Campaign (but I repeat myself) spins, the only purpose of the gun is to “murder people” or whatever. And the problem is that it’s hard to point to “other” uses of the 5.7mm. No one uses it to hunt, so we can’t fall back on that, no one really uses it for concealed carry (because it sucks), it’s not popular with target shooters or really anyone.
I’m not saying that it should be banned, mind you – but it’s not exactly an easy child to defend on grounds that your average suburban soccer mom is going to understand.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Except a reverse talking point: thank goodness he was using a .22 variant known for such poor stopping power. If it had been a real gun, many of those 30 injured might be dead.
This one incident is enough to close the book on 5.7… not enough gun.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Isn’t the designed point of the FiveseveN to fire an “armor-piercing” round? I realize that the AP ammo is LE/Mil only in the US because of PSH. Could he have gotten ahold of some of the SS190 ammo?
November 6th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
I’m with Hypnagogue here.
If he had used an expanding projectile, 9mm or larger, we might have a higher fatality rate.
5.7 isn’t known as a world class fight stopper.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
The 5.7×28 is an uncommon and fairly expensive pistol. I’ve rarely seen the ammo except at a few gunshows. It seems this perp may have chosen it specifically because, from what I’ve seen, it comes with a 20 rd mag and I think 30 rd mags can be had for it. So that would make it possible to shoot more UNARMED victims without having to reload mags.
The other advantage for this perp is that, like most all mass shootins/murders, he chose a GUN FREE zone, which officialdom, whether civilian or military, keeps on providing for just such an occasion.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Aint the 5.7x28mm FN pistol the one that the LAPD chief claimed a few months ago as being powerful enough to stop a elephant? Maybe Hasan believed him!
November 6th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
The FSA actually jumped all over the ‘cop killer’ talking points citing the Brady report that even the BATFE said was nonsense.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Surely there’s other pistols in a larger caliber with a similar magazine capacity? Is the fiveseven that much more concealable than, say, a G19? (Yeah, my noob is showing)
November 6th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Or maybe he felt he might encounter resistance from armed and armored personnel? the 5.7mm cartridge was designed for use in the P-90 SMG (or PDW if you prefer that nomenclature) for defeating the body armor that may be encountered by NATO peace keeping troops and allied countries. Hell, I’ve seen secret service men carrying the P-90. Having utilized both of the weapons systems I can tell you I would never bet my life on either of them. They are fun as hell to shoot, and cool to look at, but utterly useless. Knowing this, I do believe it was planned out to utilize that weapon platform, due to not only what I have listed but also as others have pointed out; insanely high magazine capacity without altering too much the exterior dimensions of the handgun.
I am also weary of a backlash to ban that caliber, because there really is not much of a practical application besides Mil/LE. Thats my .02
November 7th, 2009 at 1:13 am
There is zero reason to ban the pistol or the caliber, particularly since armor piercing ammo is limited to non-civilian use.
If it was an FN 5.7, so what? Thank goodness the round and the shooter proved as ineffective at murder as demonstrated, and move on to looking at the sudden jihad syndrome evidenced here, with a view to stopping other potential suddenly-jihadis.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Even if ammo was entirely restricted, Hasan still carries “only one status” in the sheep’s eyes, and could probably have access to just about anything…given the herd’s lack of real knowledge about soldiers or anything firearm/military related in general…
November 8th, 2009 at 9:40 am
“I’m not saying that it should be banned, mind you – but it’s not exactly an easy child to defend on grounds that your average suburban soccer mom is going to understand.”
This popped up in other discussions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFhyiGvWrSI
Jeff makes a VERY good point that the FiveSeveN makes a VERY good gun for somebody who might have demolished strength in their hands to handle heavy recoil or operate a revolver trigger.
It’s actually a VERY good point, and coming from a HUGE hater of the FiveSeveN and 5.7x28mm, I must say my opinion of the gun is greatly improved.