"Gun logic puts cops at a huge disadvantage"

[Winchester 73]

The Miami Herald continues its anti-gun drumbeat.Now they are using the hapless local columnist Fred(I am a West Virginia hillbilly)Grimm as their latest mouthpiece.

In My Opinion
FRED GRIMM
[email protected]

Gun logic won't dwell much on Detective James Walker,killed in a burst of bullets fired from a military assault weapon that,in saner times,had been banned.
Gun logic,and cajoling by the National Rifle Association,undid the ban against selling AK-47's and the like in 2004.
The Roumanian-made semi-automatic rifle used to kill the Miami police detective one week ago was equipped with a 30-round clip.Detective Walker suffered multiple gunshot wounds.His car had been raked with bullets.Thirty bullet casings were found in the alley where he died.Back in saner times,sale of that clip would have also been illegal.
The ban,allowed to expire in September 2004 by a president and Congress cowed by the gun absolutists,kept 19 models of military style weapons off gun store shelves.Also banned were banana clips,flash suppressors,folding stocks,pistol grips,bayonet clips and other military accessories that mock any pretense that these rifles are about hunting game.Unless the game you're hunting runs with a rival gang.Or someone who shorted you in a drug deal.

BURST OF INFAMY

Or maybe,feeling blue,you just feel like heading to the mall and going out in a murderous burst of infamy.The reliable AK-47,as disturbed Americans have demonstrated time and time again,makes for a dandy facilitator of mass murder.
Up to 300 yards.
Gun logic,however,holds that the real problem isn't the daunting proliferation of assault weapons among street thugs,drug dealers,spurned lovers,angry employees and armed robbers.(The day after James Walker was murdered in North Miami Beach,a federal grand jury in Detroit returned a 14 count indictment against five bank robbers who brandished weaponry difficult to obtain before 2004.The FBI dubbed them,"the AK-47 gang.")
Gun logic holds that it's not that too many high-powered weapons are available to bad guys.It's that too few law-abiding citizens are similary armed.If enough of us were packing our own assault weapons,preferably with banana clips and fixed bayonets,then we good citizens could have laid down enough fire power to eradicate James Walker's assailant
Such gun logic doesn't give a lot of thought to what soldiers in Iraq term collateral damage.Miami Police Chief John Timoney,public enemy No.1 among gun absolutists,described how one of the stray bullets from the killing burst of rifle fire in North Miami Beach blasted through a window of a seventh-story condo located four blocks from the shooting scene and tore into a couch.Thankfully,at 1 a.m.,the couch was empty.

DANGER FACING COPS

Nor does gun logic give much consideration to the escalating danger facing cops,as military guns become commonplace on the streets.
This was the second South Florida cop killed with an assault weapon in four months.Timoney struggled to find a metaphor to describe the paltry effectiveness of standard-issue police vests against the high-powered AK-47.
"Like butter,"suggested another officer.The chief nodded.
Timoney was attending a press conference Monday at North Miami Beach City Hall just four blocks-shooting distance-from the murder scene.Police asked for the public's help finding suspect Andrew James Rolle,20,whose rap sheet belies his age.Rolle,variously known as "Bird," "Slugs," "Black," and "Shooter,"
surrendered Monday evening.
Time was,before gun logic ruled,a street thug,even one named Shooter,wouldn't have been so well armed.

 

[Browning]

They didn't keep them off store shelves, they were still available, the price was just raised.

I'm guessing none of those "journalists" walked in a gun store during the AWB.

"Assault Weapons" are actually less likely to be be used to assault or murder anyone than any other type of weapon for the simple reason that most of them aren't exactly concealable. If I remember right the odds of an assault weapon being used to kill someone was something like 2% (most of which are those Tec-9 pistols with the barrel shroud over the barrel).

Knives are used in 13.3% of all murders (not just assaults, but murders).

Damn these people are frigging retarded, are they gonna try and ban knives too?

Good luck on that.

 

[hankdatank1362]

...military accessories that mock any pretense that these rifles are about hunting game.Unless the game you're hunting runs with a rival gang.Or someone who shorted you in a drug deal.

Or someone who just broke into your house. Or hordes of roving looters in a post SHTF Katrina-esque scenario. Or for when the the commies and the mexicans team up to invade America, a la Red Dawn. Or for when American government decides that voting is the last step between them and dictatorship.


Or zombies. Doesn't matter. The 2nd isn't about hunting.


BTW,

If enough of us were packing our own assault weapons,preferably with banana clips and fixed bayonets,then we good citizens could have laid down enough fire power to eradicate James Walker's assailant

I agree. For now, though, we have to settle for sidearms.

 

[TexasRifleman]

People still read newspapers?

 

[Robert Hairless]

People still read newspapers?

Few and fewer.

Landmark Communications, owner of everybody's favorite publisher of Virginia CWP holders the Roanoke Times, is reportedly selling off the Weather Channel and its newspapers. Buy the Roanoke paper and you get to fire Christian Trejbal.

The McClatchy Newspapers chain seems to be going through protracted death throes.

What keeps most newspapers alive today is their suitability as garbage containers. Even with extraordinary protection from the Constitution--the First Amendment freedom of the press, which is a collective right that applies only to the militia--and special postal rates they can't make it.

Which, I have begun to think, speaks volumes about the worth of most newspapers and journalists today.

 

[Cosmoline]

Better title:

"Logic Puts Me At A Huge Disadvantage" by Fred Grimm

 

[2Ais4U]

So the first question that comes to mind is "Hmmm I wonder if that Ak-47 was legally owned?" Probably not. The assault weapons ban did not ban illegally owned guns, there was already a law against that. And from what i have gathered its seldom if ever a legally owned "assault weapon" is used in the commission of a crime.

 

[keeleon]

Time was,before gun logic ruled,a street thug,even one named Shooter,wouldn't have been so well armed.

Seems to me that someone with the nickname "shooter" probably had a history of doing stupid and illegal things with guns. But of course there is NO WAY he would have broken the law to acquire an illegal gun during the AWB.

In fact, I am sure that "Shooter" was so happy the day the ban was lifted that the first thing he did that morning was walk into a reputable gun store, slap down hard, honestly earned cash and his ID and wait for the background check to clear to pick up his beloved "high-powered AK47". Of course he did this knowing he was gonna "blast some pigs", knowing full well that he was protected by the 2nd ammendment.


Or, he was a criminal and the laws didn't apply to him regardless. Tough call.

The reliable AK-47, as disturbed Americans have demonstrated time and time again,makes for a dandy facilitator of mass murder.
The reliable pipe bomb, as disturbed Americans have demonstrated time and time again,makes for a dandy facilitator of mass murder.
The reliable kitchen knife, as disturbed Americans have demonstrated time and time again,makes for a dandy facilitator of mass murder.
The reliable automobile, as disturbed Americans have demonstrated time and time again,makes for a dandy facilitator of mass murder.
The reliable german shepard, as disturbed Americans have demonstrated time and time again,makes for a dandy facilitator of mass murder.

 

[2Ais4U]

Standard issue police vest stand up rather well against Ak-47 rounds, My uncle is a Wv. D.O.T officer and his vest stood up very well against AK-47, 9mm, .40 cal., and .38 cal. We tested it ourselves. it was a fun day.

 

[akodo]

look, if we were really all about keeping society safer, then we should require only 7 of 12 jurors believe that the person on trial 'more likely did it than not'

we should allow warrantless searches of a car, person, or home, at any time.

Both of those measures would go much further toward protecting us all than banning guns.

What about that old saying "We would rather let 10 murdered walk free due to lack of sufficient evidence than jail one man unjustly" What do you think those 10 free murderers are going to do? Sell cookies?

This isn't about 'safe'. It is about 'free'.

 

[highorder]

Standard issue police vest stand up rather well against Ak-47 rounds, My uncle is a Wv. D.O.T officer and his vest stood up very well against AK-47, 9mm, .40 cal., and .38 cal. We tested it ourselves. it was a fun day.

I was under the impression that soft IIA armor was no match for 7.62x39.

 

[Cmdr. Gravez0r]

Also banned were banana clips

Dang those pesky banana clips!!

 

[BobbyQuickdraw]

I'm wondering if the AK-47 was actually an AK-47. When a reporter says "AK-47" they generally mean any gun with a long magazine, that's black, and has wood furnishings.

Round size, manufacturer, selector switch, et al, the things that really determine the make and model of a gun, mean nothing to them.

Just because the guy fired 30 rounds from a 30 round mag doesn't mean he fired them on full auto. I'm sure any of us here can pull a trigger fast enough to put 30 rounds down range in just a handful of seconds.

 

[Ash]

I hate those pesky bayonet clips myself.

Ash

 

[.cheese.]

Fred Grimm should not be given any credence at this point. This article just adds to the long list of pointless op-eds he has written. My brother showed it to me and said, "I'll bet you'll agree with this article." - and I read and replied with, "Why would I? It's moronic."

There's Grimm, and Anna Menendez who is equally moronic. They just contribute to an already lackluster paper with no credibility.

Why I subscribe is a mystery.

 

[catfish101]

So I guess if these guys didn't have "AK-47's" they wouldn't have done what they did. I am sure they wouldn't have found something else to use. :banghead:

The fact is that people with that kind of character would do what they did with anything they could get and we all know it and so do the police. Hang the SOB's and be done with it.

 

[2Ais4U]

"The fact is that people with that kind of character would do what they did with anything they could get and we all know it and so do the police. Hang the SOB's and be done with it."

True, true. Banning knives in the U.K. now, because criminals realized that you can kill people with knives too.

 

[chris in va]

Standard issue police vest stand up rather well against Ak-47 rounds

Seriously doubt that. IIIA armor tested against various rounds including the x39. This is without the optional ceramic plates of course.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot16.htm

 

[ColinthePilot]

Also banned were banana clips,flash suppressors,folding stocks,pistol grips,bayonet clips and other military accessories

Why are banana's in a clip dangerous? I've never heard of a weapon that even fires bananas! Nor have I heard of a weapon that shoots bayonet's or a reason to clip them together either. Flash suppressors, pistol grips and folding stocks don't make a rifle more powerful or more dangerous. And I can only think of a handful of military accessories that actually make a rifle more deadly (grenade launcher comes to mind).

This guy is an idiot.

 

[Soybomb]

Mr. Grimm I'm terribly disappointed at the shallow logic used in your
article. You complain at length about scary assault weapons yet in 2006
of the 10,177 killed by firearms, a mere 436 were killed by rifles
according to the FBI.
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/expanded_information/data/shrtable_10.html
That number isn't broken down into the friendly wood stocked hunting rifle
and the scary black looking rifles but it doesn't need to be. Anyone can
see that its a drop in the bucket.

You claim the assault weapons ban was a great thing. Can you cite some
statistics proving its effectiveness like a real journalist instead of
relying on emotional appeal and colorful adjectives?

You claim that those scary black weapons with flash hiders, folding
stocks, bayonet mounts, and pistol grips are only useful for murderous
gang bangers. Police across the country carry these weapons in their
squad cars every day because they are such an effective self defense tool.
Why can't I keep one in my home for self defense? Besides, a bayonet?
When was the last time you even heard of someone being run through with a
bayonet that you feel like its worthy criteria for a ban?

Your understanding of the assault weapons ban is also flawed. People
couldn't purchase newly made weapons that had been banned but the ones
that were already owned before the ban went into effect were still bought
and sold by honest citizens and of course stolen by criminals who wouldn't
follow the law anyway. The very idea that a ban would do anything to a
criminal shows the lack of logic you're using. Would you suggest that the
ban on drugs has removed drugs from the hands of criminals?

You suggest the ak-47 style guns shoot a terrible terrible round that's a
massive threat to police. Are you aware that your average friendly wood
stocked hunting rifle owned by hunters will fire a more powerful round for
a longer distance more accurately? It is in fact a low power gun as far
as rifles go.

Mr. Grimm I do hope that before you publish your next piece on logic you
will spend some time exploring the logic of your arguments first. Logical
conclusions are not drawn on a few anecdotal stories, please show your
work next time.

 

[Winchester 73]

Why I subscribe is a mystery?quoting .cheese

I am subject to the same malady.Perhaps masochism?

 

[Ian]

Time was,before gun logic ruled,a street thug,even one named Shooter,wouldn't have been so well armed.

Yepper, 75 years ago all they had were things like BARs. And they must have been less dangerous, because the thugs had cute names like "baby-face".

 

[2Ais4U]

My uncle has a ceramic plate, its actually like 100 tiny ceramic plates overlapping but it came with the vest, It may not be standard issue tho, he may have bought it himself.

 

[CZ 42]

Did you actually send that, soybomb, or are you counting on him to google himself? Grimm has a pretty dimm view on the nature of crime, as a journalist covering it he should be held to a higher standard... Of course our biased media won't pursue any action against these anti-gun bigots though. IMHO, anti-gun journalism is worse than rascist journalism. I feel like a black man reading a Klan newsletter.

 

[Soybomb]

I sent my letter to both the author and their editorial email address at [email protected] and would encourage everyone else to write as well