Below is from www.wusatv9.com "USA Tonight" section
Weapon Of War
Written by Bruce Leshan
Created:2/8/2005 8:55:41 PM
Last Updated:2/8/2005 11:35:32 PM
Critics call it a super gun; a weapon of war.
They say the only people who really need a .50 calibre anti armor rifle are soldiers and terrorists.
Tuesday, Virginia Congressman Jim Moran introduced legislation to ban future sales of the increasingly popular weapon.
Bruce Leshan's report
How powerful is a 50 calibre armor piercing rifle?
Here's what it did to a 600 pound safe in a Marine Corps training video.
The rounds John Mohammad and Lee Malvo used to terrorize us for 12 days were .223. The .50 calibre is twice that size.
It leaves the barrel of the gun at four times the power of the .223, meaning it can penetrate a half inch of steel at 500 yards.
"This is a clear and present danger and it needs to be banned" says Congressman Jim Moran.
The congressman has more than a dozen co-sponsors on a bill to ban sales of the .50 calibre.
Osama bin Laden's men have already admitted to buying them and Moran fears they'll use them to take out a jetliner or punch a hole in a toxic rail car.
"Now whether they're going to be successful in piercing a rail car carrying hazardous material or shooting a commercial jet, I don't know. I hope they won't. I pray they won't But they're readily available. You can buy these more easily than a handgun", says Moran.
The NRA, and gun rights advocates say Moran is setting up a straw man, and that .50 calibres are almost never used in crimes. They're too big and too heavy.
However, the Branch Davidians did use .50s at Waco.
But Moran's pessimistic the terror connection will convince a majority of his colleagues to change their minds. The ban went no where in the last session.
Is there honestly any chance of passing this legislation?
"No", says Moran.
"There's no chance right now, but there is a chance the American people will catch on", he says.
If Moran somehow succeeds, gun rights advocates say manufacturers have a simple solution, they'll just produce .49 calibre rifles.
Click on video to see Bruce Leshan's report.
Weapon Of War
Written by Bruce Leshan
Created:2/8/2005 8:55:41 PM
Last Updated:2/8/2005 11:35:32 PM
Critics call it a super gun; a weapon of war.
They say the only people who really need a .50 calibre anti armor rifle are soldiers and terrorists.
Tuesday, Virginia Congressman Jim Moran introduced legislation to ban future sales of the increasingly popular weapon.
Bruce Leshan's report
How powerful is a 50 calibre armor piercing rifle?
Here's what it did to a 600 pound safe in a Marine Corps training video.
The rounds John Mohammad and Lee Malvo used to terrorize us for 12 days were .223. The .50 calibre is twice that size.
It leaves the barrel of the gun at four times the power of the .223, meaning it can penetrate a half inch of steel at 500 yards.
"This is a clear and present danger and it needs to be banned" says Congressman Jim Moran.
The congressman has more than a dozen co-sponsors on a bill to ban sales of the .50 calibre.
Osama bin Laden's men have already admitted to buying them and Moran fears they'll use them to take out a jetliner or punch a hole in a toxic rail car.
"Now whether they're going to be successful in piercing a rail car carrying hazardous material or shooting a commercial jet, I don't know. I hope they won't. I pray they won't But they're readily available. You can buy these more easily than a handgun", says Moran.
The NRA, and gun rights advocates say Moran is setting up a straw man, and that .50 calibres are almost never used in crimes. They're too big and too heavy.
However, the Branch Davidians did use .50s at Waco.
But Moran's pessimistic the terror connection will convince a majority of his colleagues to change their minds. The ban went no where in the last session.
Is there honestly any chance of passing this legislation?
"No", says Moran.
"There's no chance right now, but there is a chance the American people will catch on", he says.
If Moran somehow succeeds, gun rights advocates say manufacturers have a simple solution, they'll just produce .49 calibre rifles.
Click on video to see Bruce Leshan's report.
