Back in February, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) introduced the “50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Reduction Act” into Congress. Section 2 of this bill notes “Congress finds that –
(1) certain firearms originally designed and built for use as long-range 50 caliber military sniper weapons are increasingly sold in the domestic civilian market, and there are fewer legal restrictions on their possession or transfer than there are on handguns;
(2) the intended use of these long-range firearms, and an increasing number of models derived directly from them, is the taking of human life and the destruction of materiel, including armored vehicles and such components of the national critical infrastructure as radars and microwave transmission devices, in addition 50 caliber sniper weapons pose a significant threat to civil aviation in that they are capable of destroying or disabling jet aircraft;
(3) these firearms are neither designed nor used in any significant number for legitimate sporting or hunting purposes and are clearly distinguishable from rifles intended for sporting and hunting use;
(4) extraordinarily destructive ammunition for these weapons, including armor-piercing and armor-piercing incendiary ammunition, is freely sold in interstate commerce; and
(5) the virtually unrestricted availability of these firearms and ammunition, given the uses intended in their design and manufacture, present a serious and substantial threat to the national security.”So what this bill seems to boil down to is national security, which is a valid concern these days, with the recent passing of the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, and 9/11 still in the back of everybody’s minds. But they’re going about it all wrong.
First, I would like to address the point made towards the end of the second finding above. Specifically “50 caliber sniper weapons pose a significant threat to civil aviation in that they are capable of destroying or disabling jet aircraft.”
According to Boeing’s website, their largest production commercial aircraft is the 747-400, based on overall length and wingspan. It’s maximum speed is around 680 m.p.h., while it cruises at 35,000 ft. at around 567 m.p.h. Now if you have ever shot a rifle, handgun, or any type of gun, you’ll know that hitting your intended target isn’t always as easy as Hollywood makes it seem. And you’ll also know that hitting a target that’s far away is much harder than hitting one that is several feet away. So getting back to the 747 example. Someone who wished to take down a 747 at it’s cruising altitude of 35,000 feet (or about 6.6 miles) would obviously need some practice, because you know just as well as I do that an airplane flying overhead looks just about as big as a grain of rice – in other words, it’s a tough target to hit. So this person would have to find an empty field that spans a little more than six and a half miles, and would have to set up a target that is 232 feet in length, with a smaller section for the wingspan of about 212 feet. Then they would have to repeatedly shoot a very loud gun at this enormous target – something that is very likely to be noticed. But let’s just say that they get the near-impossible shot down. They still have no practice hitting the target as it is moving over 560 m.p.h.
I know this all seems a little crazy, but just think about it. As big as a 747 is, it is still a very difficult target to hit at over 6.6 miles and traveling over 560 m.p.h. But let’s just say it does get hit by a pretty luck shot. A .50 caliber bullet is only 1/2 of an inch in diameter. One of them is not very likely to take down an airplane, unless it happens to go into the cockpit and kill the pilot, in which case the co-pilot would take over, or if it hit one of the engines, in which case there’s still another one to make sure it can make an emergency landing.
What this “.50 caliber ban” is really all about, is a ban starting from the top and working its way down the list, until all of our guns are confiscated. It happened in England with their handguns. When their ban first went into effect, citizens were allowed to keep only .22 caliber and smaller handguns, locked in government-certified clubs. This made it extremely easy for the government to confiscate all of the law abiding citizen’s handguns, because they knew where all of them were.
If this .50 cal. ban passes, I can see an end to all sorts of hunting and target shooting approaching the United States in the near future. We can’t let this bill pass, and our representatives in Washington must know that no freedom loving American would want it to pass.
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