Here’s a hysterical piece on the 50 caliber rifles:

A .50-caliber sniper rifle can hit a target at 4,500 feet, shatter bulletproof limousines, penetrate sandbags, earth berms, armored vehicles, commercial planes, and drill through the walls (and living rooms) of 10 suburban houses lined up one after another. The Geneva Conventions don’t prohibit .50-caliber weapons’ use against military personnel, and army manuals describe its usefulness in battle. But the weapon’s use on civilians and in civilian areas is prohibited.

Oddly enough — or maybe not so oddly in the twilight zone of Second Amendment zealotry — you can buy a .50-caliber weapon from your friendly mail-order gun dealer. The Barrett line of .50-caliber sniper rifles, patented in 1987, is the “One Shot One Kill” enthusiasts’ gun of choice. After its introduction and wide use in the first Gulf War, it made some famous cameos in the arsenals of infamous separatists in the 1990s (Timothy McVeigh owned one, the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, had some). The .50-caliber weapon is also used by civilian police forces, although not by the area’s largest forces — the Daytona Beach Police Department and Volusia’s and Flagler’s sheriff’s offices.

Disregarding the hysteria and some of the lies, if a Constitutionally enumerated right is comparable to the Twilight Zone, what about the other rights? But never fear, the unimpeachable 60 minutes is on the case:

With the expiration of the “assault” weapons ban, leftists are looking for other ways to whittle away at the Second Amendment. Liberal mouthpiece 60 Minutes will aid this effort on Sunday as they try to argue that .50 caliber rifles are terrorist weapons. As usual, they interview the highly discredited Violence Policy Center.

Alphie provides some good history on 50 cals. Give it a read. More on 50 caliber lies at KABA.

Update: Jed and Ravenwood have more.

Posted in uncategorized on January 10th, 2005 by SayUncle | RSS 2.0 |