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MaggieL · 10-17-2002, 03:38 PM

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<h3>Beltway Killer Attacks - Firearms Fact Sheet</h3><p>Much of the reporting on the Beltway Killer has contained numerous technical inaccuracies regarding firearms. While primarily due to the reporter's unfamiliarity with firearms rather than any intended bias, certain inaccuracies lead to inadvertent but serious distortions of the story. For example, media articles often report the killer as striking from a long distance using a high-powered assault rifle. In fact, the killer appears to be striking from a very short distance using a low-powered common rifle. In an effort to clarify some of the unfamiliar aspects of firearms and assist in accurate reporting that best serves the public, we have prepared this media fact sheet.

<h4>FACTS ABOUT THE WEAPON USED AND SHOOTING TECHNIQUE</h4><p>THE ROUND
<p>Ballistic information has apparently led the police to believe the killer is using a .223 caliber cartridge (5.56mm in metric), which is commonly used in rifles - although it is also used in some large handguns. All rifle cartridges are more powerful than smaller handgun rounds. However, the .223 is not a high-powered cartridge - rather it is the lowest power cartridge in large-scale commercial use. By comparison, the 30-06 (pronounced "thirty aught six") cartridge, the round fired by the rifle Sarah Brady bought her son for Christmas of 2000 (described in her book "A Good Fight"), is over twice as powerful and can penetrate approximately 18" of oak. The .223 is used primarily to hunt small (rabbit-sized) game and is illegal for hunting large animals in many states because it is not sufficiently lethal to reliably kill the game. <p>The United States military uses the military equivalent, the 5.56mm round, in its rifles. Our military chose this round specifically to wound, rather than kill, an enemy - wounded soldiers require care that consumes an enemy's battlefield resources. The Beltway killer is so lethal because he or she is shooting at close range, not because he or she is using a large round.
<p>THE RANGES
<p>The killer appears to be shooting from 30-150 yards (essentially, across a parking lot). While long for small handgun range, this distance is very short for rifle shooting. Military snipers usually shoot from 300 to 1000 yards. Rifle enthusiasts usually shoot around 200 yards and up. Police snipers, who shoot at much shorter distances, are the only group of trained shooters who regularly shoot rifles in the 100-150 yard range. A competent instructor can teach any previously untrained reporter to make shots similar to those the killer is making with an hour of instruction - see this story on Fox News in which reporter Alisyn Camerota, who has never fired a rifle before, makes a head shot at 25 yards on her first shot before receiving any instruction whatsoever:<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,65868,00.html">
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,65868,00.html</a>.
<p>THE WEAPON
<p>The killer's weapon is often described as possibly being an "assault rifle". However, it is highly unlikely that the killer has access to an actual assault rifle. An assault rifle is a military rifle capable of firing more than one round when the trigger is pulled - essentially a light machine gun. What the media often terms "assault rifles" are the semi-automatic commercial versions of military rifles. Like all other semi-automatic rifles, they fire one round every time the trigger is pulled. They may look like assault rifles, sometimes prompting the designation "assault style rifle", but there is no mechanical difference between a semi-automatic rifle with "assault style" cosmetic features and a semiautomatic hunting rifle. The correct designation for such a rifle, regardless of what it looks like, is a "semi-automatic rifle".
<p>Further, there is no indication that the killer is using a semi-automatic rifle. Bolt-action and single-shot rifles in .223 caliber are readily available and more common, and the killer has to this point never fired more than one round.
<p>Also, several long pistols fire the same round, also accept telescopic sights, and would produce similar results at the short ranges the killer is striking at.

<h4>FACTS ABOUT THE KILLER'S SKILL AND "SNIPERS"</h4><p>The killer's shooting skill is not unusually good. Shooting from a prepared position with a rifle, almost anyone who has had basic instruction can accurately hit a target at the short ranges the killer strikes from. However, the killer's skill at planning the attacks, hiding the weapon, and escaping without notice are unusual and it is these skills that make him or her such a fearsome criminal. <p>Real military and police snipers, who shoot for a living, are highly offended to be associated with the Beltway area killer. Actual trained snipers belong to a highly skilled subset of shooters and are capable of much more demanding shooting than the Beltway killers have used. Like black belt martial artists, they have invested great effort to acquire great power, and their ability is tempered with great responsibility. Military and police snipers shoot as a last resort to save the lives of innocent civilians or the soldiers behind them, not to wreak terror. They find referring to the Beltway area killer(s) as a "sniper" to be as offensive as referring to the September 11th hijackers as "pilots". <p>For reference, see the CNN article "Real snipers resent D.C. shooter": <a
href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/14/snipers.mind.ap/index.html">
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/....ap/index.html</a>

<h4>THE BELTWAY KILLER AND DEFENSIVE USE OF GUNS</h4><p>Nancy Hwa of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (recently renamed from Handgun Control, Inc.) has responded to the Beltway killer by claiming "This shows that carrying a gun doesn't make you safer." (MSNBC article,
<a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/819677.asp?0bl=-0">
http://www.msnbc.com/news/819677.asp?0bl=-0)</a>. There are several problems with this statement. Obviously, the beltway murders are an extremely rare type of crime that is not indicative of the common crimes people generally face, where defensive handguns can effectively end the crime. However, while
the initial victim of the Beltway shootings has no chance to defend his or herself and would not be helped by carrying a gun, these shootings take place at close range in suburban areas where there are often people around who can respond. A recent eyewitness claims to have seen the killer flee. Had the shootings taken place in a city where more citizens commonly carry
lawfully concealed firearms, such as Dallas, the killer would be less likely to be able to escape without return fire. At the short ranges that the killer strikes at, a lawfully armed citizen could realistically hit the killer with a handgun. <p>Armed citizens do regularly stop serial criminals - for example, in
Pittsburgh a woman recently shot a serial rapist who had terrorized the city with 6 prior attacks over a two week period
(<a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_city/20021015arrest1015p1.asp">
http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_ci...rest1015p1.asp</a>). Armed citizens have even prevented terrorist attacks with explosives (see
<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/2002/06/17/ncguest2.htm">
http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment...7/ncguest2.htm</a> for a description of an attack where an Israeli woman shot a supermarket bomber before he could detonate his bombs).
The Beltway killer has chosen to attack in an area with strict gun control, possibly to minimize the threat to his or her person.
<h4>ABOUT THE KILLER(S)</h4><p>We do not know if there is one killer or several, but police theorize that the killer(s) work in teams, with one shooter and one driver, who may change roles. We are not sure about the killer's gender (one eyewitness account has mentioned one male, but little information is available). We do not know the killer's ethnicity, national origin, or motivation. Even the ballistic evidence about the round may be incorrect, as the killer may be intentionally planting evidence from firearms not involved in the crime. This would give the killer the ability to use the police's ballistic imagery against them to beat court charges by raising reasonable doubt as to whether the firearm used in the crimes was really connected with the killer.

10-17-2002, 03:38 PM	#45
MaggieL in the Hour of Scampering Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Jeffersonville PA (15 mi NW of Philadelphia) Posts: 4,060	...from http://www.northbridgetraining.com/b...ct_sheets.html <h3>Beltway Killer Attacks - Firearms Fact Sheet</h3><p>Much of the reporting on the Beltway Killer has contained numerous technical inaccuracies regarding firearms. While primarily due to the reporter's unfamiliarity with firearms rather than any intended bias, certain inaccuracies lead to inadvertent but serious distortions of the story. For example, media articles often report the killer as striking from a long distance using a high-powered assault rifle. In fact, the killer appears to be striking from a very short distance using a low-powered common rifle. In an effort to clarify some of the unfamiliar aspects of firearms and assist in accurate reporting that best serves the public, we have prepared this media fact sheet. <h4>FACTS ABOUT THE WEAPON USED AND SHOOTING TECHNIQUE</h4><p>THE ROUND <p>Ballistic information has apparently led the police to believe the killer is using a .223 caliber cartridge (5.56mm in metric), which is commonly used in rifles - although it is also used in some large handguns. All rifle cartridges are more powerful than smaller handgun rounds. However, the .223 is not a high-powered cartridge - rather it is the lowest power cartridge in large-scale commercial use. By comparison, the 30-06 (pronounced "thirty aught six") cartridge, the round fired by the rifle Sarah Brady bought her son for Christmas of 2000 (described in her book "A Good Fight"), is over twice as powerful and can penetrate approximately 18" of oak. The .223 is used primarily to hunt small (rabbit-sized) game and is illegal for hunting large animals in many states because it is not sufficiently lethal to reliably kill the game. <p>The United States military uses the military equivalent, the 5.56mm round, in its rifles. Our military chose this round specifically to wound, rather than kill, an enemy - wounded soldiers require care that consumes an enemy's battlefield resources. The Beltway killer is so lethal because he or she is shooting at close range, not because he or she is using a large round. <p>THE RANGES <p>The killer appears to be shooting from 30-150 yards (essentially, across a parking lot). While long for small handgun range, this distance is very short for rifle shooting. Military snipers usually shoot from 300 to 1000 yards. Rifle enthusiasts usually shoot around 200 yards and up. Police snipers, who shoot at much shorter distances, are the only group of trained shooters who regularly shoot rifles in the 100-150 yard range. A competent instructor can teach any previously untrained reporter to make shots similar to those the killer is making with an hour of instruction - see this story on Fox News in which reporter Alisyn Camerota, who has never fired a rifle before, makes a head shot at 25 yards on her first shot before receiving any instruction whatsoever:<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,65868,00.html"> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,65868,00.html</a>. <p>THE WEAPON <p>The killer's weapon is often described as possibly being an "assault rifle". However, it is highly unlikely that the killer has access to an actual assault rifle. An assault rifle is a military rifle capable of firing more than one round when the trigger is pulled - essentially a light machine gun. What the media often terms "assault rifles" are the semi-automatic commercial versions of military rifles. Like all other semi-automatic rifles, they fire one round every time the trigger is pulled. They may look like assault rifles, sometimes prompting the designation "assault style rifle", but there is no mechanical difference between a semi-automatic rifle with "assault style" cosmetic features and a semiautomatic hunting rifle. The correct designation for such a rifle, regardless of what it looks like, is a "semi-automatic rifle". <p>Further, there is no indication that the killer is using a semi-automatic rifle. Bolt-action and single-shot rifles in .223 caliber are readily available and more common, and the killer has to this point never fired more than one round. <p>Also, several long pistols fire the same round, also accept telescopic sights, and would produce similar results at the short ranges the killer is striking at. <h4>FACTS ABOUT THE KILLER'S SKILL AND "SNIPERS"</h4><p>The killer's shooting skill is not unusually good. Shooting from a prepared position with a rifle, almost anyone who has had basic instruction can accurately hit a target at the short ranges the killer strikes from. However, the killer's skill at planning the attacks, hiding the weapon, and escaping without notice are unusual and it is these skills that make him or her such a fearsome criminal. <p>Real military and police snipers, who shoot for a living, are highly offended to be associated with the Beltway area killer. Actual trained snipers belong to a highly skilled subset of shooters and are capable of much more demanding shooting than the Beltway killers have used. Like black belt martial artists, they have invested great effort to acquire great power, and their ability is tempered with great responsibility. Military and police snipers shoot as a last resort to save the lives of innocent civilians or the soldiers behind them, not to wreak terror. They find referring to the Beltway area killer(s) as a "sniper" to be as offensive as referring to the September 11th hijackers as "pilots". <p>For reference, see the CNN article "Real snipers resent D.C. shooter": <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/14/snipers.mind.ap/index.html"> http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/....ap/index.html</a> <h4>THE BELTWAY KILLER AND DEFENSIVE USE OF GUNS</h4><p>Nancy Hwa of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (recently renamed from Handgun Control, Inc.) has responded to the Beltway killer by claiming "This shows that carrying a gun doesn't make you safer." (MSNBC article, <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/819677.asp?0bl=-0"> http://www.msnbc.com/news/819677.asp?0bl=-0)</a>. There are several problems with this statement. Obviously, the beltway murders are an extremely rare type of crime that is not indicative of the common crimes people generally face, where defensive handguns can effectively end the crime. However, while the initial victim of the Beltway shootings has no chance to defend his or herself and would not be helped by carrying a gun, these shootings take place at close range in suburban areas where there are often people around who can respond. A recent eyewitness claims to have seen the killer flee. Had the shootings taken place in a city where more citizens commonly carry lawfully concealed firearms, such as Dallas, the killer would be less likely to be able to escape without return fire. At the short ranges that the killer strikes at, a lawfully armed citizen could realistically hit the killer with a handgun. <p>Armed citizens do regularly stop serial criminals - for example, in Pittsburgh a woman recently shot a serial rapist who had terrorized the city with 6 prior attacks over a two week period (<a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_city/20021015arrest1015p1.asp"> http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_ci...rest1015p1.asp</a>). Armed citizens have even prevented terrorist attacks with explosives (see <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/2002/06/17/ncguest2.htm"> http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment...7/ncguest2.htm</a> for a description of an attack where an Israeli woman shot a supermarket bomber before he could detonate his bombs). The Beltway killer has chosen to attack in an area with strict gun control, possibly to minimize the threat to his or her person. <h4>ABOUT THE KILLER(S)</h4><p>We do not know if there is one killer or several, but police theorize that the killer(s) work in teams, with one shooter and one driver, who may change roles. We are not sure about the killer's gender (one eyewitness account has mentioned one male, but little information is available). We do not know the killer's ethnicity, national origin, or motivation. Even the ballistic evidence about the round may be incorrect, as the killer may be intentionally planting evidence from firearms not involved in the crime. This would give the killer the ability to use the police's ballistic imagery against them to beat court charges by raising reasonable doubt as to whether the firearm used in the crimes was really connected with the killer. __________________ "Neither can his Mind be thought to be in Tune,whose words do jarre; nor his reason In frame, whose sentence is preposterous..."