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Group Targets .50-Cal. Rifle-(NY Rifle Ban... enjoy)
Syracuse Post Standard ^ | May 27, 2005 | Marnie Eisenstadt

Posted on 05/28/2005 6:22:28 PM PDT by Flavius

A .50-caliber rifle can shoot down an airplane while it's taking off or landing, bust a hole in half-inch steel and set an oil refinery on fire, according to Andy Pelosi, executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

And an 18-year-old can buy one in New York state.

"There's no place in civilian society for this gun. This gun is a weapon of war," Pelosi said. Advertisement

Pelosi was in Syracuse Thursday as part of a statewide push to ban the .50-caliber rifle, which uses a bullet that's six inches long and can hit a target from more than a mile away, Pelosi said.

The Assembly passed legislation Tuesday that would ban the gun. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate, but it is still in committee. California has banned the .50-caliber from civilian use.

Other states should follow California's example, said Bryan Miller of the Freedom States Alliance, a national coalition of state gun-violence groups.

"Society has a duty and a responsibility to decide what is acceptable and what is not," he said, standing behind one of the guns, which are more than 4 feet long.

The National Rifle Association and Ronnie Barrett, the gun's inventor, said those who want the ban are just pushing to take all guns away from civilians.

"This has nothing to do with terrorists. It has nothing to do with crime," he said. "It's about disarming the American public."

Barrett, president of Barrett Firearms, said the .50-caliber rifle is no more dangerous than any other rifle. And the claim that the .50-caliber can fire farther is true, but even the best marksmen would have trouble hitting a target from more than a mile away, he said.

But Pelosi offered a brochure Barrett's company used in the past to market the .50-caliber to the military. It boasts that the gun can hit a jet airplane or a helicopter in just the right spot, "making it capable of destroying multi-million dollar aircraft with a single hit delivered to a vital area."

The brochure goes on to boast that the gun's cost-effectiveness cannot be overemphasized because all it takes is one round of ammunition to bring a plane down.

Barrett did not dispute the claims, but said his company no longer uses that brochure. It's tacked on the wall of the company bathroom with other memorabilia, he said. From Our Advertiser

He said he didn't invent the gun for military use or for hunting.

"I designed it for me to shoot and play with," Barrett said. "I'm a shootist."

Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington, D-Medford, sponsored the bill that passed the Assembly this week. She said Barrett's comments are proof that there is no need for civilians to have the gun, which retails for around $7,000.

"I'm quite delighted it did pass, because this is not a hunting rifle and it should never be used for a hunting rifle. It is such a dangerous weapon," Eddington said. "You don't need a weapon like this."

She said the legislation, if approved by the Senate and governor, is a preventative step that would make New York safer.

"Why wait for a tragedy to happen?" she said. "Let's do something to prevent a tragedy from occurring. No one needs to have a .50-caliber weapon."

To read the Assembly bill, go to http:// assembly.state.ny.us/leg/ and type in A4471. To read the Senate version, go to http:// www.senate.state.ny.us/ senatehomepage.nsf/home?openform and click on "bills and laws," then type in S2590, then on the next screen click on "text."


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 50cal; bang; banglist; communistsubversion; donutwatch
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1 posted on 05/28/2005 6:22:28 PM PDT by Flavius
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To: Flavius

Oh, it's good for hunting. The only problem with that is there isn't an abundance of elephants in NY state.


2 posted on 05/28/2005 6:24:08 PM PDT by NHAntiMassRedRebel (Our only fault is that we're 40 minutes north of Boston.)
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To: Flavius
"Why wait for a tragedy to happen?" she said. "Let's do something to prevent a tragedy from occurring. No one needs to have a .50-caliber weapon."

Hand 'em in boys and girls they are going after em...

3 posted on 05/28/2005 6:24:56 PM PDT by Flavius ("... we should reconnoitre assiduosly... " Vegetius)
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To: Flavius
Amazingly for all this tremendous capability the .50 cal is rarely used by terrorists. Might have something to do with trying to walk, carry the rifle that handles the round, and packing along a couple of dozen cartridges.

Dude is H E A V Y~@@!!!!!

This type of weapon is much more suited to a defensive emplacement than a fire and maneuver assault.

Democrats, being unfamiliar with the concept of "defense", to say nothing of the idea of "defending America", probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

Dems and Liberals are fundamentally too stupid to pour contaminants from metal containers.

4 posted on 05/28/2005 6:27:25 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Flavius; Squantos

You ain't taking my Hawken away from me!


5 posted on 05/28/2005 6:27:38 PM PDT by SLB ("We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us." C. S. Lewis)
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To: Flavius

Andy Pelosi....any relation to you-know-who?


6 posted on 05/28/2005 6:31:03 PM PDT by clintonh8r (So....Is means testing now a conservative value? Apparently 40% of FReepers think it is.)
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To: Squantos

On reading the article again, I really wonder if my old 50. caliber Hawken I made from a kit in 1977 can really shoot down an airplane from a mile away. If it will do that, I wonder what the .54 caliber rifle my father-in-law has will do? It probably has some type of secret exploding projectile.


7 posted on 05/28/2005 6:31:05 PM PDT by SLB ("We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us." C. S. Lewis)
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To: Flavius

Would this mean that I can't buy a Civil War weapon, which is commonly .54 calibre?

What is the magic of .50 Calibre? Is there some magical properties of such a weapon that makes it worse than a .499 calibre?

If these weapons are soooo powerful then why are then not the standard issue weapon for soldiers around the world, instead of being relegated to special use?

Enquiring minds, et


8 posted on 05/28/2005 6:32:02 PM PDT by TWohlford
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To: Flavius
"There's no place in civilian society for this gun. This gun is a weapon of war," Pelosi said.

So, as a military-only (i.e., militia) weapon, it's protected under Miller.

9 posted on 05/28/2005 6:32:19 PM PDT by Grut
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To: NHAntiMassRedRebel

"Oh, it's good for hunting. The only problem with that is there isn't an abundance of elephants in NY state."

Makes a helluva impression on deer, bears, etc which are found in New York State....


10 posted on 05/28/2005 6:32:58 PM PDT by TWohlford
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To: Flavius

Isn't it a little difficult for an 18 year old to come up with $7,000.00 without creating some kind of scrutiny by the feds?


11 posted on 05/28/2005 6:36:47 PM PDT by NY Attitude
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To: All
OK cool can we get these instead then.

cartridge size comparision: .50 BMG (top) and the 20x110mm Hispano (below)

12 posted on 05/28/2005 6:39:50 PM PDT by Flavius ("... we should reconnoitre assiduosly... " Vegetius)
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: Flavius

14 posted on 05/28/2005 6:41:12 PM PDT by Flavius ("... we should reconnoitre assiduosly... " Vegetius)
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To: Flavius
"There's no place in civilian society for this gun. This gun is a weapon of war," Pelosi said.......If I am not mistaken, WE ARE AT WAR with a murderous enemy that has promised to kill us all. They have already started. There are 3000 innocent Americans dead so far...right here on our soil!.....

And there are lunitics here in the United States that want us disarmed......just how utterly and completely crazy is that?

If Andy Pelosi et al succeed in even partially disarming American citizens...and even one American is murdered by mohammidians because of the lack of the banned firearm...I would say Andy Pelosi should suffer some consequences.....I can't say what those consequences might be, but they should be severe enough that Mr. Pelosi will never forget.

15 posted on 05/28/2005 6:42:22 PM PDT by B.O. Plenty (Liberalism and islam are terminal.......)
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To: Flavius

"There's no place in civilian society for Andy Pelosi."


16 posted on 05/28/2005 6:42:50 PM PDT by Sender (Team Infidel USA)
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To: Flavius

"which uses a bullet that's six inches long...."

Damn news reporters are mostly morons. They seem to have any knowlege of anything they report on. The bullet is about 1" long. It is a half inch in diameter. The shell casing is six inches long. And it would be a un-believable lucky shot to bring down even a piper club with one round from this weapon.
Ask any soldier or Marine if I am not being truthful.
These bozos just keep rolling along in mis-information.

So a well place shot lets say from a Winchester 460 Magnum on some fuel valve at a chemical plant will probably do just as well as this 50 caliber round. Now remember anyone can walk into a gun shop and by a Winchester 460 caliber rifle.
Only thing is, with the 50 caliber rifle, it has a much longer barrel, which leads to a higher muzzle energy and a flatter bullet path, which will retain more energy at much longer distances. But this article as others, makes it sound like a 50 caliber rifle can bring down a chopper or military jet or airliner with a few shots. It is very misleading in my opinion. Of course a 50 caliber machine gun is a different story, but that is not the issue here.


17 posted on 05/28/2005 6:43:23 PM PDT by Marine_Uncle
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To: SLB
I really wonder if my old 50. caliber Hawken I made from a kit in 1977 can really shoot down an airplane from a mile away. If it will do that, I wonder what the .54 caliber rifle my father-in-law has will do? It probably has some type of secret exploding projectile.

Hell my grandfather use to have .79 caliber musket!You just know that thing would create a thermonuclear blast that would spread radiation 1 mile in every direction after dropping every airplane out of the sky everywhere in the state.How we avoided spinning the earth off of its axis sending it crashing into the sun during the revolutionary war I will never figure out.

18 posted on 05/28/2005 6:44:21 PM PDT by freepatriot32 (If you want to change government support the libertarian party www.lp.org)
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To: Abram; Annie03; Baby Bear; bassmaner; Bernard; BJClinton; BlackbirdSST; blackeagle; BroncosFan; ...
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
19 posted on 05/28/2005 6:44:56 PM PDT by freepatriot32 (If you want to change government support the libertarian party www.lp.org)
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To: Flavius

Pelosi was in Syracuse Thursday as part of a statewide push to ban the .50-caliber rifle, which uses a bullet that's six inches long

MY GOD! Imagine what the cartridge must be like!!!


20 posted on 05/28/2005 6:45:46 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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