Clever little devils, those assault rifle bullets. They seem to have a mind of their own, burrowing around like that. 
Posted on 07/20/2002 4:54:02 AM PDT by CFW
Lt. David Kilpatrick of the Oconee County Sheriff's Office holds a .223-caliber AR-15 rifle seized last week in a drug raid in the county. The assault rifle, modeled on the military M-16, turns up more and more frequently as Northeast Georgia officers do battle with criminals. The magazine for an AR-15 holds 30 rounds of ammunition and the guns can fire them as fast as the trigger is pulled.
It's sleek, black and looks like something out of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.
It can fire off 30 rounds in about four seconds, spraying bullets that have the capability to burrow through bulletproof vests.
It's the Colt AR-15 assault rifle, and it keeps turning up in the hands of accused criminals.
Law enforcement officials are divided on the AR-15, which has turned up in major area crime scenes three times in the past three years -- most recently two weeks ago in an Oconee County drug bust. While protective of the Second Amendment and generally opposed to gun control, cops see how troublesome it is looking down the wrong end of an assault rifle barrel.
Madison County Sheriff Clayton Lowe knows firsthand the capability of the AR-15, the civilian version of the M-16 in use by the U.S. military since the Vietnam War. His deputies were on the hunt for a Hart County jail escapee in October 2000 when the suspect unloaded a 40-round clip in their direction. No one was hit, but they had second thoughts about trudging into the woods at night in search of a heavily armed escapee.
Kenneth Marty Glenn, 34, eventually surrendered and was convicted of aggravated assault on a police officer and sentenced to nine years in prison. Before running from lawmen, Glenn had dropped by his house to pick up his AR-15 and 250 rounds of ammunition.
''Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way in favor of gun control,'' said Lowe, who enjoys hunting. ''I believe if you give gun control people an inch they'll take you a mile. But it's no fun being outgunned by a bad guy, which is what happened in that situation.''
''Gun control people,'' as Lowe calls them, had something to say about the AR-15 and its exotic counterparts. In 1994, President Clinton signed into law the assault weapon ban that restricted such things as magazine capacity, muzzle flash suppressors (for nighttime firefights) and collapsible stocks that make the guns concealable. But those rules only applied to guns manufactured after the bill was enacted.
With enough money, anyone can get their hands on a ''pre-ban'' assault rifle with all the old bells and whistles.
Take the 1970s-era AR-15 seized by Oconee County investigators at the rural home of Tony Fortmann. Amid 500 marijuana plants, scores of stolen prescription pills and mushrooms, authorities found the gun and its 30-round magazine, along with a long-range rifle, they said.
Oconee County Sheriff's Lt. David Kilpatrick, who is a licensed firearms dealer, downplays the significance of finding an AR-15 at the scene, which was ringed with surveillance cameras and a secured fence. But Kilpatrick allows this: the .223-caliber round fired by the AR-15 is ''devastating,'' with a tumbling action that inflicts major damage to a target.
As for whether a bulletproof vest could stop a bullet fired from the AR-15, ''I wouldn't want to test it,'' Kilpatrick said. ''Because of (the .223's) piercing ability, I'd rather face a slug fired out of a shotgun at the same distance.''
Jackson County Sheriff Stan Evans said last year that a pursuit involving a gang of heavily armed bank robbers was ''almost a nightmare come true.''
Two of the three suspects who robbed the Jefferson Community Bank and Trust were armed with AR-15s that had been illegally modified for fully automatic fire. That meant instead of firing shots as fast as they could pull the trigger, they could unload an entire 40-round clip in a two-second burst.
''It could have ended up a massacre with what we were up against,'' Evans said of the November incident, which ended in a peaceful capture. ''We were certainly outgunned.''
Fewer law enforcement agencies are finding themselves outgunned these days, however. Oconee County officers have their own semiautomatic rifles in the trunks of their patrol units, and Lowe said he's beefed up his department's firepower since the run-in with Glenn.
But for some, it doesn't matter if crooks and cops are on an even playing field.
''We would like all future production of assault weapons outlawed,'' said Marty Langley, a policy analyst with the pro-gun control Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Langley said gun manufacturers ''have obeyed the letter of the (1994) law, but not the spirit.''
As an example, he cites Colt, which began production of the AR-15 Sporter to make up for its losses in the assault weapons ban.
''They just made some minor adjustments'' to the old AR-15 design, Langley said.
In Oconee County, it wasn't illegal for 25-year-old Ben James Garland to own the AR-15 on its own. But it became a felony when combined with the illegal drug activity alleged at the home, Kilpatrick said.
Likewise, Marty Glenn legally obtained the assault rifle he fired at Madison County sheriff's deputies.
Lowe doesn't think gun ownership rights should change, despite the risks officers face in running up against such firepower.
''Unless they're a convicted felon, I'm all for it,'' he said
A rural Georgia Sheriff's view on gun control. LOL
Now that's something I'd like to see on a semi-auto.
On the other hand, we get back to the old red herring..... The second ammendment is not to protect our hunting rights. It is to provide a means to protect our freedom and liberty from a corrupt and oppressive government a'la King George circa 1770. BTW - A computer and word processor in the wrong hands can cause far more damage than a AR-15. That can actually change law, create new taxes and restrict the freedom of the people or doom millions of fetus to death just for "being there."
Clever little devils, those assault rifle bullets. They seem to have a mind of their own, burrowing around like that.
Is there some legislation in the pipe or is this the Long Lie?
I didn't get far with this article - "sleek, black, mean-spirited, ugly, cop-killing, blah blah blah," gun. For cryin' out loud, most hunters consider the .223 a varment round.
Must be a new modification for the AR-15 and I thought only Arnold Schwarzenegger could do something like this. Though I would not want to test an AR-15 against a vest either, especially if the vest was around my chest.
Is there some legislation in the pipe or is this the Long Lie?
I suspect that this is a teaser to see just how public reaction will be in Athens, GA. Atlanta turned limo-liberal years ago, but I'm not sure if Athens is a Red or Blue zone.
BTW, this article calls out for your picture of the perfect assault gun. :^)
Madison and Oconee Counties are rural counties outside of Athens (which is Clarke County). Although Oconee is growing fast with the liberals taking over, Madison County remains very conservative.
Unless you use 15 round magazine.
and the guns can fire them as fast as the trigger is pulled.
I may be wrong, but doesn't this describe all semi-autos?
It's sleek, black and looks like something out of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.
Arnold wouldn't even consider using such a wimpy weapon these days, except in a pinch. He favors those look-through-walls-lock-on-target-plasma-pulse-vaporize-everything-in-its-path rifles.
It can fire off 30 rounds in about four seconds, spraying bullets
And except for the very well trained, exactly one of which might hit the target.
that have the capability to burrow through bulletproof vests.
Burrow? Those weasely bullets!
It's the Colt AR-15 assault rifle, and it keeps turning up in the hands of accused criminals. Law enforcement officials are divided on the AR-15, which has turned up in major area crime scenes three times in the past three years -- most recently two weeks ago in an Oconee County drug bust.
Three times in three years? A veritable epidemic!
While protective of the Second Amendment and generally opposed to gun control, cops
Thank the Lord, for small favors!
see how troublesome it is looking down the wrong end of an assault rifle barrel.
As opposed to a shotgun, .30-30 lever action, or .38 special?
…a 40-round clip… 40-round clip in a two-second burst …
I just can't seem to find these 40 round clips anywhere. Custom made?
''We would like all future production of assault weapons outlawed,'' said Marty Langley, a policy analyst with the pro-gun control Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
(Sheriff) Lowe doesn't think gun ownership rights should change, despite the risks officers face in running up against such firepower. ''Unless they're a convicted felon, I'm all for it,'' he said
Whose opinion carries more weight here? Wonk or lawman?
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.