Mic drop.

Jun. 18th, 2016 10:35 am
gridlore: Army Infantry school shield over crossed infantry rifles (Army Infantry)
[personal profile] gridlore
This my last comment on the shootings at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. As we all know, a gunman with a entire menu of issues, who claimed allegiance to three terrorist groups who hate each other, entered the club and shot over 100 people, killing 49 and wounding 53 others. He uses a SIG Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm Glock 17 handgun in the attack. After a stand off lasting several hours, the gunman was killed by SWAT officers.

Much of the debate centers around the weapons used. The MCX was designed for sale to governments for military use. Read the site linked. It's designed for rapid fire even in semi-automatic mode, and built to be quieter than most non-suppressed weapons. A boon for special forces, perhaps, but for civilians?

Rather than repeat the arguments, I'm just going to point out another shooting incident that was remarkably similar in terms of the situation but had a very different outcome.

On December 8th, 2004, Damageplan was playing the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. The place was packed because the band was the post-Pantera project of drummer Vinnie Paul and Darryl "Dimebag" Abbott, legendary guitarist. The two brothers were thrilled to be back on the road and playing to 700 fans. Shortly after the band's set started, a 25-year-old former Marine named Nathan Gale walked onto the stage and started shooting. Dimebag was the first to fall. A massacre was underway.

That night there were four deaths, and seven wounded. Out of over 700 fans, band personnel and club staff. Why so low? Because Gale was using a 9mm Beretta 92FS pistol with a 15 round magazine. The police were able to approach and kill Gale while he was reloading.

The only difference here was the weapons used.

Date: 20 Jun 2016 11:13 (UTC)
claidheamhmor: (Default)
From: [personal profile] claidheamhmor
Spot on. Those weapons are lethal, not only because of the fire rate, but also the way the bullets cavitate or fragment, resulting in very high fatality rates. I can't think of any reason why a civilian should have one.

Profile

gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Default)
Douglas Berry

October 2023

S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
2223 2425262728
293031    

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 25th, 2025 01:46 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios