.50 Cal rifles on 60 Minutes this Sunday

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armedcitizen

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Just saw a blurb on CBS. This Sunday's 60 Minutes will have a feature on .50 cal rifles and California's recent ban, terrorism concerns, etc.

Should be interesting to see it they present a "fair and balanced" view.
 
I received the following via e-mail today.

From John Burtt of FCSPI:

Jolynne

----- Original Message -----
From: jb50bmg
To: 01John Burtt
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2005 9:01 AM
Subject: 60 Minutes


I realize most of us don't watch 60 Minutes normally, but if you're not busy
this weekend one of their "Issues" will be the .50 caliber rifle. I received
this email from Ronnie Barrett, owner of Barrett Firearms, Inc. A lot of the
program by 60 Minutes was filmed at Barrett Mfg and Ronnie Barrett served as
the spokesman for our sport and industry. Might be worth watching. Responses
from the sport shooting community might also be appropriate afterwards.

John Burtt
FCI


Subject: Barrett on 60 Minutes


60 Minutes says, barring any breaking news, the piece on .50 cal rifles will
air this Sunday.

This evening, in the course of a "tease" for the 60 Minutes broadcast this Sunday evening, saw reference to same subject matter. Who knows what sort of presentation they will offer, however with the likes of Dan Blathere still retaining power, a reasoned, dispationate discussion or a factual presentation strikes me as less than likely. We shall have to wait and see what is broadcast. Might be worth the time to view, and to offer such comment as then seems appropriate.
 
Ronnie Barrett served as the spokesman for our sport and industry

Good guy to have on our side. He seems to be very reasonable and most importantly articulate and well spoken (i.e. not the toothless yokels that they usually pick for our side). How much do you want to bet that they give him all of 30 seconds on the air and that they manage to cut it just right to make him appear as militant and unthinking as possible? Bet they counter-point him with a nice sweet ole "shotgun huntin" old man who's statement amounts to "what would ya want that fer?".

I'm betting on the standard issue "guns are the devil, especially these evil black ones" hatchet job.
 
Interview Ronnie Barrett gives me a little hope (but just a very little). More than likely it's another CBS hatchet job to make guns look bad, like Dan Blather did in 1999 on the Second Ammendment. Add in one of those dumb 'Elmer Fudd' hunting crowd with some statement about not needing 50's to hunt, and it might be a real piece of work.

Ofcourse as we all know every plane that has ever dropped out of the sky, or refinery/chemical expolsion is because they make and sell 50's..yeah right.. :rolleyes:
 
You know what? This is a great reason to tick off a liberal and CBS.
Been wanting a .50 just for the sake of owning one. I know what I'm going to do on Monday.
First I'm calling Ronnie Barrett on Monday and ordering one. Semi auto of course is there any other way to buy a 50 caliber? :what: Then I'm calling the 60 minutes offices at CBS and informing them of my purchase. Thanking them for their Sunday broadcast because it gave me the kick in the pants that I needed to justify the purchase of a .50 caliber. :D I have the money and a big enough safe for the gun so why not splurge? The SOPMOD M1A will just have to wait until next year. BTW anyone have Barretts number handy?
Wait a minute I have been eying a McMillan .50 also, "O" well decisions, decisions, I'll figure out which one I want by Monday. At least I have Kelly McMillan's number around here somewhere.

Last edit due to my not spell checking the post. I couldn't spell if my life depended on it.
 
Last edited:
Re the upcoming 60 Minutes segment, I had suggested writing to the network web site, and the program itself, however thinking about that, one realizes that in the event of a Dan Blather type hatchet job, that the CBS web site would likely function as a sort of electronic trash can, unless comment produced "kissing sounds", you might try the following approach, especially in the event of that likely hatchet job.

Address careful, precise comment, get the details straight, to SPONSORS. Point out the misdirection, the technical sloppiness, the outright lies and emotionalism that oozes from what is supposed to be "reporting". Having done that, politely note that the sponsor willingly choose to associate their company name with lies and double-talk, when they didn't have to, and that as a result of their having chosen, as they did, that you also can make choices. Your choice will be that of excluding their goods or services from any possibility of partonage, and that you WILL be contacting ALL your friends and acquaintances in that regard.

Send your comments to CEO's and that sort of person. Such people hear about such letters, and they tend to be made unhappy be the receipt of such communications. In the event of the usual sort of network anti gun lies and general crap, burry them in such comments. Let's then see what CBS might start to hear from it's clients, or in some cases, from it's FORMER CLIENTS.
 
ALS:

Your idea sounds interesting and might well serve to "twist it" in CBS's worthless hide.

As for this 50 BMG rifle itself, I have no particular interest in the genre myself, and they seem a bit rich for my blood. Of course, that has absolutely nothing to do with what might interest others.

Concerning a "shooting iron", back when I was shooting rifle competition, I used to engage the old 5V target at 1000 yards, with a Model 70 Winchester course gun in 30-06, 24" barrel. These rifles weighed about 11 pounds, maybe a bit over or under. Shooting that 30-06, I NEVER felt undergunned. For reasons I never understood, I couldn't manage 1000 yards with the .308, but the 06 worked fine. One pays their money, and they take their choice.

Of course, the foregoing has nothing at all to do with this California foolishness, latest variety, which is simply another step along the way to the anti gunners out there and elsewhere, obtaining the total proscription of firearms, which after all, is their long established and often stated goal. Nothing much really changes.
 
It would blow me away if 60 Minutes actually edited and presented this piece in such a way that Mr Barrett does not look like an industry hack, or a gun nut.

When Mr Barrett apeared before the LAPD to offer an opinion, it was done in such a way as to make the gun industry look bad. Do you honestly think that 60 Minutes has any other intention?
 
Here is a link. I was hopeful that the teaser would turn out to be opposite of what it appeared (as sometimes happens), but even with Ronnie Barreett involved, I don't see this as being a good thing for .50 cal rifles or guns in general...based on the link below.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/06/60minutes/main665257.shtml

Here is text from the page. They are giving more space to Diaz of VPC than to pro gun folks or Barrett ...

(CBS) A military rifle capable of piercing armor from over a mile away is too readily available to civilians, and could end up in terrorists' hands, say critics of the .50-caliber weapon that is for sale in 49 states.

Correspondent Ed Bradley reports on the big gun that was recently banned in California for 60 Minutes, Sunday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"I think it's a great thing on the battlefield," says one of the weapon's chief critics, Tom Diaz of the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

"I just think there are certain occasions when we say in our society, this product is such a threat to our health and safety...our national security, we will not allow it," he tells Bradley. "Thousands have been sold to civilians and, as far as federal gun laws go, it is treated like any other hunting rifle."

Diaz argues the rifle can be used to pierce and blow up chemical storage tanks from afar, affording the terrorist an easy escape.

"The point is you can plan your attack from a longer distance. It's the combination of range and power," says Diaz, who fears there will be deadly results from such an attack on containers of toxic or flammable materials.

Diaz also fears the powerful gun could be used to shoot at aircraft that are landing or taking off. The potential danger the .50-caliber poses to aircraft taxiing on the runway or parked at the gate was outlined in a Rand Corporation report on terror vulnerabilities at Los Angeles International Airport. The report saw no way to protect the planes.

The gun's inventor, who sells the weapons to civilians for sport and to armies around the world, says Diaz could be right, but is being reckless.

"Yes it could be [used in those terrorist scenarios], but it's also seeming, begging someone to commit this crime. 'Somebody please commit this crime so I can validate what I've been saying so long,'" says Ronnie Barrett of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing.

"It's kind of a classic gun industry argument," says Diaz. "First they deny there's a problem and then when something happens, they point the finger at people who tried to warn about it."

Barrett points out that the gun's extreme size and weight make it an unlikely weapon of choice for criminals.

"As far as the abuses with .50-caliber rifles, they are so few, if any, that all other calibers ought to aspire to have as good a record as it has," he tells Bradley. "It's a target rifle. It's a toy...a high-end adult recreational toy."

As for terrorism, Barrett says, "Any rifle in the hands of a terrorist is a deadly weapon."

Diaz is hoping Congress will pass a law requiring that the names of owners of .50-caliber rifles be kept on file.

"No one in the U.S. government knows who has these guns," he says.
 
Double Naught Spy :

A couple of quick points re your last post.

Regarding Ed Bradley, that well known firearms expert, when did he learn the differenct between the muzzle and and the butt end of a rifle, 50 caliber or otherwise.

Re Tom Diaz, and "hunting rifles", when was the last time he or any of his fellow travelers saw one that weighed in excess of 30 #. Also, hadn't he earlier characterized these rifles as "sniper rifles"? Have they undergone some magican change in the intervening time? Has he?
 
60 minutes website

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/06/60minutes/main665257.shtml

(CBS) A military rifle capable of piercing armor from over a mile away is too readily available to civilians, and could end up in terrorists' hands, say critics of the .50-caliber weapon that is for sale in 49 states.

Correspondent Ed Bradley reports on the big gun that was recently banned in California for 60 Minutes, Sunday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"I think it's a great thing on the battlefield," says one of the weapon's chief critics, Tom Diaz of the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

"I just think there are certain occasions when we say in our society, this product is such a threat to our health and safety...our national security, we will not allow it," he tells Bradley. "Thousands have been sold to civilians and, as far as federal gun laws go, it is treated like any other hunting rifle."

Diaz argues the rifle can be used to pierce and blow up chemical storage tanks from afar, affording the terrorist an easy escape.

"The point is you can plan your attack from a longer distance. It's the combination of range and power," says Diaz, who fears there will be deadly results from such an attack on containers of toxic or flammable materials.

Diaz also fears the powerful gun could be used to shoot at aircraft that are landing or taking off. The potential danger the .50-caliber poses to aircraft taxiing on the runway or parked at the gate was outlined in a Rand Corporation report on terror vulnerabilities at Los Angeles International Airport. The report saw no way to protect the planes.

The gun's inventor, who sells the weapons to civilians for sport and to armies around the world, says Diaz could be right, but is being reckless.

"Yes it could be [used in those terrorist scenarios], but it's also seeming, begging someone to commit this crime. 'Somebody please commit this crime so I can validate what I've been saying so long,'" says Ronnie Barrett of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing.

"It's kind of a classic gun industry argument," says Diaz. "First they deny there's a problem and then when something happens, they point the finger at people who tried to warn about it."

Barrett points out that the gun's extreme size and weight make it an unlikely weapon of choice for criminals.

"As far as the abuses with .50-caliber rifles, they are so few, if any, that all other calibers ought to aspire to have as good a record as it has," he tells Bradley. "It's a target rifle. It's a toy...a high-end adult recreational toy."

As for terrorism, Barrett says, "Any rifle in the hands of a terrorist is a deadly weapon."

Diaz is hoping Congress will pass a law requiring that the names of owners of .50-caliber rifles be kept on file.

"No one in the U.S. government knows who has these guns," he says.
 
This is the same lunacy someone I used to work with you was actually a gun owner said about hi-cap guns. That there's no need for them and yada yada you know the rest. So my answer to him was this. Does that mean my bolt action Mosin-Nagants are "safe guns"?? By that logic I should be able to chamber a round, point it at some one and pull the trigger and nothing would happen. It should also be noted that the jets used on 9/11 weren't obtained legally like morons think the bad guys get there weapons.
 
I refuse to ever again watch any part of any episode of 60 Minutes, CBS Nightly News, or any other alleged "journalism" cranked out by those hacks.

Right now, we've got the TBS rerun of Tomb Raider.

hillbilly
 
I just learned the Federales used armor at Waco because of the Barrett rifle.

News to me.

Barrett gave just as good as he took.

The SeeBS piece was not about the .50 cal rifle. It was about Tom Diaz and his "there is a lion in the street and we all shall be killed" strain of moral judgment.

I wish Barrett had not given the interview. He wasn't trashed but his interview did provide another event for Diaz to promote his anti-gun agenda. What Ed Bradley did not recognize at least on camera was every complaint of Diaz about the .50 could be repeated for a .308 or .45/70, etc.
 
Just watched the 60 minutes program

I thought Ronnie Barrett came across very well spoken and calm. Not as 1 sided as I thought it might appear on See-BS.
 
Just got done watching it.

My opinion about this as a "non" gun guy, is that it was pretty balanced. That is you're left feeling freaked out with no real solution in sight to domestic terrorism. But that's OK, because there is no real solution. IMO.

One interesting thing to note was that they shot those rifles at the FBI at Waco. Another interesting thing was the Department of Homeland Security's statement: We remain concerned about any weapon of choice that could be potentially used by a terrorist, including a .50 caliber rifle."

Oh, and you can buy explosive armor piercing ammo illegally on the internet.
 
1 other thing

I wonder if Ronnie is gonna cut off the NYPD for their little stunt that they did for See-BS!
 
You noticed that they did not give any details on the 30cal round being used in the test. Beiny the NYPD I would guess that it was a soft point.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas
 
Barrett should stick to what he's good at....making rifles and leave the "media battlefield" to those better skilled & qualified. To refer to the rifles as "Toys" shows his inexperience in front of a camera and poor choice of words. He was played as a chump by CBS whose main goal was drawing attention (public & political) to a problem that currently doesn't exist.

This media piece was an "offensive" move by the anti-gun crowd....it now puts Barrett and gun owners on the "defensive" to disprove something that hasn't happened. Anyone familar with battle tactics or sports knows you win with "offense" not "defense".

Barrett clearly admits without civilian sales he would be out of business....makes one wonder why he participated in painting a target on the 50 cal market? Was it intentional to spur sales and panic buying?

The efforts to beat this back in every state will be enormous. Diaz plants the seed, Barrett waters it....now it's up to the rest of us to kill it before it spreads. The DOD and Justice Department refused to be interviewed for the story, they saw it for what it was, another CBS hit piece....dumb move on Barrett's part or was it? $$$$? I'm disapointed he participated in this.
 
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