Posted on 07/23/2012 1:22:58 PM PDT by Starman417
*sigh*
The rifle was not an “assault” (i.e. select fire) rifle. The shotgun was not an “assault” rifle (I’ve actually heard it referred to as an assault shotgun). The tac gear was not likely fully bulletproof. Tac gear is used to dull blunt force, prevent deep slashing cuts, and protect from incapacitating damage.
BPVs are heavy. I doubt this guy was covered from head to toe in bulletproof Kevlar but with tac gear intended to prevent any would-be heroes from trying to tackle him, take him out with a pocket knife, or otherwise put him down with anything other than a gun.
A few well-placed shots with a .40 caliber or higher round would put him on his back in a second, and any gun shots to his extremities, regardless of covering, would have likely injured him. The real tragedy here is the example that this proves that no-gun-zones are invitations to ne’er-do-wells to commit crime. Had one person in that theater had a shot on this idiot, we’d likely be talking about fewer dead, among whom likely would’ve been the shooter.
So this guy walks up to the Ticket Counter with orange hair wearing a gas mask 2 assault weapons and body armor and nobody thought this was strange and called the authorities? How about saying you can’t go in wearing that!
He probably just told them he was gay and they though nothing of it...(at least the orange hair part...)
Where have you been pal? Hiding under a rock ... uncommunicative for the last three days?
The current theory is that he walked up to the counter with street clothes and a cap on his head, got a ticket, went into the theater, pretended to make a cellphone call near an emergency exit, taped the exit open while he talked on his phone, then left the theater, went to his car, suited up and then returned through the exit.
I actually suspect he might not have had actual Kevlar armor plates, and that this was the media misunderstanding “tactical vest” (which he purchased for $106 on-line).
lol...yep, that’s exactly what happened—you nailed it. If only you had been in charge of security, you could’ve halted this mass murder by noticing the heavily armed guy in tactical gear and orange hair when NO ONE else did!
He wasn’t wearing all that gear when he went in. Have you followed the story?
I didn’t think he was even wearing real body armor, but rather that real-looking Airsoft style stuff.
I agree. I have heard the media and blogs making outragious statements about it, but we really don't know anything official about what he was wearing. It could easily have been level 1 or 2A surplus stuff that you can pick up at any army/navy store or online for a couple hundred bucks. It could also have been the body armor worn by paint ballers that looks like it is high level stuff, but really provides zero protection.
Just like when the media claims something is a SWAT level assault rifle, I don't believe it until I get specific models. The 'Assault' rifle this guy had was a cheapo AR Bass Pro type.
I assume the same. I have plenty of gear with Molle loops and use it quite regularly for everything from my laptop bag to my range gear vest. There’s also a weight vest for exercise and weight training that looks exactly like a tac vest and uses Molle-type attachments to add weights.
BPVs are a LOT more expensive than $106.
What bulletproof vest ?
Every factual account I have read states that he wore a ‘ballistic vest’, which does not mean it was bulletproof. It may have just been a tactical ballistic vest with multiple pockets for magazine clips. It may have been bullet-resistant, or it may not. AFAIK, he was not wearing military body armor, or a bulletproof vest.
Weird as that sounds it might actually have gone down that way. That theater was know for people showing up in costume and sometimes firing pyrotechnics during the late shows. However, it is just as likely that the shooter bought his ticket, walked in and sat down. When the lights were dimmed he walked to the front of the theater and left through an exit door jamming a match book or some such into the striker plate of the lock. With the lock defeated he walked to his vehicle and dressed in his ninja outfit, gathered up hid weapons and ammo and returned to the now dark theater through the unguarded exit. At this point he threw his "distraction" devices and started shooting. I strongly doubt that he had tear gas grenades as CS & CN are barred from civilian purchase. I expect that he acquired some smoke markers which are available as survival/rescue items carried by hikers and campers.
Regards
GtG
I was discussing this with someone yesterday and we found you can get surplus Level IIA for under a hundred bucks.
Example. http://www.bodyarmorcompany.com/retail/products.php?productID=950&dept=Military/Outdoor
And that was just the first search result.
So Aurora and the theater prohibited carrying or discharging firearms and the shooting still happened. How's that gun control working?
Yes, and let’s not forget that the gun apparently jammed. This means one or possibly two things:
1) The shooter was using garbage surplus .223 which is notorious for jams in ARs.
and/or
2) The shooter was completely ignorant of the functionality of the AR and did not know how to properly clear a jam.
I’m betting that both are true. Most leftists like to get the most commonly maligned guns to make some sort of statement only to learn that considerations such as proper use and care, quality of ammunition, and just plain good shooting are paramount when trying to get on target.
With this sort of armament and the lack of a full-scale stampede of people out of the theater, a well-trained, true “gun nut” would have numbers well north of 100 dead in less than half the time this kid had.
Then again, those of us in the gun community would never even formulate such a grotesque display of psychosis.
If the door that he exited at the front of the theater had been alarmed, the whole episode might have been stopped in its tracks.
There has been a lot of exaggeration about what he had and how hard it was to get.
I agree, both are probably true. He probably went to Bass Pro (or whatever version of that store he had) and picked up the cheapest one that looked ‘tactical’. Then bought bulk surplus ammunition online. Considering the gun range he tried to get into turned him down, his entire experience was probably watching a few YouTube videos and maybe going out to a field and trying to run some rounds through.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.