From the Tactical Wire 11-10

[tombogan03884]

Thought you all might find this interesting


http://www.thetacticalwire.com/

I'd rather do anything than write this instead of the usual "day before Veteran's Day" piece. The events at Fort Hood last week and the response to it have been such that we need to straighten this out. There are some common threads we see in the response from the fuzzy-headed left-leaning media machine, what we see coming from the actual investigation and what is coming from kids who have been there or are going.

To start with, it's reported that the offender used an FN 5.7 pistol and that he had a .357 revolver. That started the old "oh my God! Will we never learn" chorus from the gun-control-goombahs. Add to it that an officer at the scene said the 5.7 had a laser aimer on it. "That makes it more deadly," we can hear them say. No, it makes it more fun for the family cat or dog to play "chase the dot."

We need to withhold judgment and not jump to conclusions - after we receive that directive, more information about Hasan's religious-political convictions hemorrhages out.

The PTSD is causing all this. We might point out that the killer was tasked with preventing such things by treating the afflicted.

We have young people crying out that, as soldiers, they're not supposed to be the sheep. They say they exist to protect us, and, sadly, someone else had to come in and stop the killing.

We can't address everything here. Let's examine some of the stuff we're most qualified to discuss.

A more comprehensive expose of the 5.7 as a 'cop-killer' is available at Chuck Hawks' Handgun Information Page (http://www.chuckhawks.com/5-7x28_cop_killer.htm). Let it suffice to say that I had a 5.7 pistol for T&E. It worked and it seemed satisfactory in many ways. I'd have tried to keep it but I didn't need a 20-round trail gun.

Trail gun? Yes. The 5.7x28mm cartridge is only slightly more powerful than the 1959-issue .22 WMR, Wichester Magnum Rimfire, also known as the .22 Magnum. When I say slightly, I mean slightly. Barr Soltis, reporting on Chuck's page, noted that the 5.7 is only about 21 foot-pounds energy more energetic than the .22 Magnum, keeping format similar (SMG to rifle, auto pistol to revolver). Of the loads Hasan would have been able to get, the most kinetic energy his gear could have yielded per round is around 216 fpe.
In the old days, the .38 Special 158 grain round nose lead "police standard" (i.e., "widow maker") load, gave a muzzle energy of around 200 foot-pounds energy at the muzzle. Now, that's a real "cop killer" bullet, but not in the way CBS would have you believe. I'm not sure what DoD Police carry, but the 9mm is generally in 330-400 fpe territory, depending on load (NATO ball is around 338 fpe, I believe).

Having shot the FN 5.7 pistol and having shot .22 Magnum from a revolver, I can tell you this - you can't feel the difference in power from shooting them side by side. In fact, in our limited testing, the target can't tell the difference either.

So much for "super guns that need to be banned." What's the real problem?

We'd note that Major Disaster was able to get a gun - hardly the "cop-killer" masturbatory fantasy the liberal media clowns would have people believe - and we are not happy he was able to arm himself. But he had to pass the NICS check. NICS is the National Instant Check System - a background check run by FBI. FBI, the same people who'd already been alerted to Hasan's internet traffic and anti-American rhetoric . . . and he still got the gun!

Any alarm bells going off now? No? Do you still buy the argument that the devil (gun) made him do it?

Someone pointed out that, while distressed to believe it, it was apparent that the left-leaning machine has been quietly hoping for a mass shooting so to be able to add "sensible restrictions on easy availability of evil-assault-chipmunk-killing-devices from Islamofascists - or anyone else except our friends." The correspondent went on to add that the present case is full of problems for our right honorable opponents.

It's too bad. The real issue is obvious to us all: This is what happens in "gun free zones."

I got out of the Army almost 35 years ago. On one guard post, I was issued an axe handle to enforce no trespassing. I was hoping I didn't end up wearing it. On another, I got a real 1911A1 pistol. It'd seen better days. I was given one five-round magazine (Hey, sure you can spare it?) and the admonition, "Don't chamber a round! It's an Article 15 if you do!"

Well, I thought, just keep it then. I was smart enough to keep the pie hole buttoned and went off to my post.

Army posts then were the most unarmed places on earth. Oh sure, there was artillery, all kinds of explosive devices, ammo, machine guns, rifles - none where you could get to them when needed, oh and never loaded.

Nothing is as worthless (and dangerous) as the unloaded firearm.

So, in this gun free zone, this possible religious zealot - or nutjob who didn't want to live up to his commitments and who used his religion as an excuse - brought guns and he shot people. Finally someone with a gun - decidedly loaded - arrived and brought peace to the valley. Peace was brought to the valley by shooting the idiot Hasan full of holes. That's how peace happens; the predator is destroyed or driven away.

Gun free zones are criminal empowerment zones. They are posted by fearful, incompetent fools who'd rather you be a victim than for them to look foolish. Well, they're looking foolish now. There is 100% gun control there. You are 100% at the mercy of anyone who shows up armed with murder in his heart in the criminal empowerment zone. We don't need gun control - except to visually identify the target, control the trigger and make the hits. That's the only gun control we need.

If it's the Armed Forces, they need to be Armed. All the time. Forever. Outside the shower or being asleep in your bunk, you carry 24/7/365. If you don't want to be a victim, don't be. It's your choice.

If being armed is a problem or you're afraid of people with guns, go join the Peace Corps. Good luck with that.

[tt11758]

He's preaching to the choir.

[tombogan03884]

 Reason I posted it was for the comments about the 5.7 being only slightly more potent than a .22 magnum.

[tt11758]

Reason I posted it was for the comments about the 5.7 being only slightly more potent than a .22 magnum.

Careful, we might get a thread closed down.   

[tombogan03884]

Not before M'ette gets home, and since I was on the phone and did not get to help spam her at noon I should be safe  

[Sponsor]

[callithump]

There was an article on the 5.7x28 in CH this month. When I looked at velocities I went to my stash to check. There's not enough difference to spit at. It is just a centerfire .22 mag.. Ammo's alot more expensive... no wonder the old timers liked the rimfire.

[fightingquaker13]

Actually two good points were raised.
1) If we require (as many departments do) cops to be armed 24/7, unless they plan to drink, why not the army? I can see why that might not apply to ships at sea etc., but on base? It seems like not a bad idea.
2) As far as the 5.7 my doubts about the round have been lifted the hard way. Lets start a thread to talk about this.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

Actually two good points were raised.
1) If we require (as many departments do) cops to be armed 24/7, unless they plan to drink, why not the army? I can see why that might not apply to ships at sea etc., but on base? It seems like not a bad idea.
2) As far as the 5.7 my doubts about the round have been lifted the hard way. Lets start a thread to talk about this.
FQ13

There was one. For that matter the the highlighted paragraph would make THIS a thread to discuss the apparent ineffectiveness of the 5.7.
But then I didn't go to college.