Scottish Gun Control is a Success

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
41

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
MaximusB wrote:
Jesus, there is a gun that shoots 4 miles? I bet the recoil on that thing could tear your shoulder apart.

No, we’re still talking about the Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle. The maximum range is 6800 meters, meaning that if you hold high enough, the projectile will strike approximately 6800 meters from the muzzle, which is 4.2 miles. Recoil is stiff, but the rifle, remember, is between 25 and 35 pounds, which dampens some of the recoil, and more is dampened by the muzzle brake. So if you can handle a .300 magnum or even a hot .30-06, you’ll likely have no problem with the recoil of a .50 rifle. Muzzle blast is another matter, however. A .50 is not just loud, it’s fucking loud, and the muzzle brake amplifies the sound by channeling the blast in your direction.

All told, I guess I’d still rather have my M14. I’m impressed by the technical achievement of killing a man at nearly a mile away, with an $9000 rifle, a $3000 range-finding computerized scope, spotter, and air support, but I’m still more impressed by a sniper who can slither through the grass, take out his target with a .308, then get away again, undetected.

It’s like the old Indian saying about the white man fire and the red man fire: “white man build big fire and stand back; red man build little fire and sit close.” [/quote]

I had a former employer who claimed to be a scout sniper years back. When he told me this, I laughed. He moved so awkwardly and I found it hard to believe that he could crawl or squat or hide for any extended period of time. Oh well, I guess some people need to alter their reality to accept themselves.

42

IMO, and I really don’t know crap about this other than reading Kill Bin Laden, much of these Afghanie warlords are worthless and corrupt. I would not doubt he was up to crap. the author of the book thought many of our “friends” were playing both sides for money.

This is all I know, read the book and raw your own opinion.

That aside, 50s are cool , but I have not fired mine due to lack of room to stretch it’s legs. 300 yards is nothing for a fifty and that’s what I’m limited to , so for now it’s an ace in the hole in case they’re banned make some money thing.

But it is supposedly a moa rifle with ball ammo. According to the Bushmaster site. Now, my M1a is dead on ringing steel at up to the max 300 yards I can shoot at.

From the factory i was on at 25 yards, so I did not bother adjusting the sights. Once I find the hold over i can hit small steel targets at 200 and torso sized steel at three hundred yards. Probably a more practical gun and 1/3 the cost with ammo 1/4 to 1/5 the cost than a ten round Bushmaster.

But on the other other side, military operations have money and lots of testing so they can afford cool toys which fit a little niche.

43

I liked this bit of dramatic understatementfrom Sgt Buist -

"The 34-year-old fired his Javelin launcher â?? only used in the â??most desperate of situationsâ?? â?? to take out the sniper after seeing him shoot patrols.

Incredibly, his aim was so accurate he hit the enemy fighter without damaging the compound wall.

Sgt Buist said: â??If something that large hits you, it is going to do some damage because it is designed to attack tanks.

â??It was later confirmed that I had actually hit someone, as there were fresh blood trails.

â??The remains had been dragged away by other Taliban. It can be gruesome, but I had to stop that guy from taking out my men.â??

It’s not without some irony that is was the Blackwatch who helped train some Afgans in Scotland during the Soviet-Afgan War when the SAS were flying them in to train them how to use ground-t-air missles.

44

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
pushharder wrote:Now what does even the most ignorant T-Nationeer know about the TALIBAN? What type of nefarious activities might a TALIBAN engage in besides the cultivation, harvesting and transport of the lowly poppy?

Oh, gosh, I don’t know, they might bring order to provinces previously controlled by corrupt, criminal warlords. They might hunt down and execute murderers and rapists of children. They might negotiate with American gas companies to build pipelines. And most shocking of all, they might ban the opium trade, effectively eradicating the cultivation, harvesting and transport of the lowly poppy.

Can’t have that.[/quote]

They might even execute some more Christians! Remember the videos the Taliban put up of captured Christian paraphernilia (Bibles). The Taliban spokesman in the video claimed that they executed the missionaries. The guy’s going to Harvard now, I believe. I can’t remember his name, but I remember they admitted him to one of the Ivies.

They were stoning women for no reason (is there ever a valid reason?) They were shooting them in the back of the head in soccer stadiums. YOu can find those videos online also.

They were cutting of hands and feet on the opposite sides of the body for petty crimes like theft.

Apostasy from Islam was punished with death. People who weren’t Islamic enough were declared apostates. Convenient.

As far as them preventing child “rape”, I’m not quite sure what you mean. The Taliban was allowing sheikhs to marry girls as young as 6, because that’s what Mohammed did.
http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/bukhari/058.sbt.html#005.058.234

You’re a “see no evil” kinda guy when it comes to anything Islamic, though.

45

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Varqanir wrote:
pushharder wrote:Now what does even the most ignorant T-Nationeer know about the TALIBAN? What type of nefarious activities might a TALIBAN engage in besides the cultivation, harvesting and transport of the lowly poppy?

Oh, gosh, I don’t know, they might bring order to provinces previously controlled by corrupt, criminal warlords.

They ARE the corrupt, criminal warlords. Have you considered that?

They might hunt down and execute murderers and rapists of children. They might negotiate with American gas companies to build pipelines. And most shocking of all, they might ban the opium trade, effectively eradicating the cultivation, harvesting and transport of the lowly poppy.

Can’t have that.

A bit of study on your part might bring you some sorely needed enlightenment on this subject. You really have no clue who the Taliban is, do you? That surprises me.

[/quote]

It would have surprised me if I wasn’t able to elicit this kind of reaction from you, Push. In a world of rapid change, it’s comforting to know that some things remain constant. :stuck_out_tongue:

I’ve studied the Taliban quite a bit, my friend. I am well aware what kind of worthless, barbaric scum they are, what kind of brutality they have committed, and how much misery they have wrought on an already miserable people.

Nonetheless, the four things I mentioned are facts. The Taliban did eradicate opium production for a time, they did hunt down and execute a warlord whose men had kidnapped and raped two young girls, they did bring order to regions controlled by warlords, and yes, they did negotiate with Unocal in Texas to construct a gas pipeline from Khandahar to Pakistan. These things all happened back in the old days, when the US actively supported the Taliban.

Just making the point that there is no character so nefarious that some kind of positive spin can’t be put onto it.

In the same vein, one could make the statement that “Hitler loved animals, especially dogs. He was a non-smoker and a vegetarian, an avid painter and a fan of the opera, and he strove to save Germany from Communism and bring its economy out of depression. These things all happened in the old days, when the US openly admired and supported Hitler.” Which is completely true, but such a statement would probably elicit howls of rage from people who know that you just can’t mention Adolf Hitler without listing off his innumerable crimes against humanity and the Jews and such.

So no, no enlightenment needed, not even sorely. Just having some fun, watching you be Pushharder. :slight_smile:

46

[quote]Wrel wrote:

It’s not without some irony that is was the Blackwatch who helped train some Afgans in Scotland during the Soviet-Afgan War when the SAS were flying them in to train them how to use ground-t-air missles.

[/quote]

Oh, the Anglo-American Alliance leads the world in irony, having snatched the coveted position from the former Soviet Union back in the 1990s.

47

[quote]PRCalDude wrote:
Varqanir wrote:
pushharder wrote:Now what does even the most ignorant T-Nationeer know about the TALIBAN? What type of nefarious activities might a TALIBAN engage in besides the cultivation, harvesting and transport of the lowly poppy?

Oh, gosh, I don’t know, they might bring order to provinces previously controlled by corrupt, criminal warlords. They might hunt down and execute murderers and rapists of children. They might negotiate with American gas companies to build pipelines. And most shocking of all, they might ban the opium trade, effectively eradicating the cultivation, harvesting and transport of the lowly poppy.

Can’t have that.

They might even execute some more Christians! Remember the videos the Taliban put up of captured Christian paraphernilia (Bibles). The Taliban spokesman in the video claimed that they executed the missionaries. The guy’s going to Harvard now, I believe. I can’t remember his name, but I remember they admitted him to one of the Ivies.

They were stoning women for no reason (is there ever a valid reason?) They were shooting them in the back of the head in soccer stadiums. YOu can find those videos online also.

They were cutting of hands and feet on the opposite sides of the body for petty crimes like theft.

Apostasy from Islam was punished with death. People who weren’t Islamic enough were declared apostates. Convenient.

As far as them preventing child “rape”, I’m not quite sure what you mean. The Taliban was allowing sheikhs to marry girls as young as 6, because that’s what Mohammed did.
http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/bukhari/058.sbt.html#005.058.234

You’re a “see no evil” kinda guy when it comes to anything Islamic, though. [/quote]

Yawn.

See my response to Push.

49

[quote]pushharder wrote:

I see. You sandbag and mention exceptions to the rule (I’m not talking about the pipeline deal - that’s irrelevant) without expressing or implying they are exceptions and then sit back smugly. While you may feel clever for doing so, it was disingenuous. In a world of rapid change, it’s comforting to know that some things remain constant. :stuck_out_tongue:

[/quote]

I aim to please.

But in fairness, your words were,

“[quote]Now what does even the most ignorant T-Nationeer know about the TALIBAN? What type of nefarious activities might a TALIBAN engage in besides the cultivation, harvesting and transport of the lowly poppy?[/quote]”

so I listed some. Admittedly, these activities weren’t nearly as nefarious as forcing men to grow beards, or forcing women to clad themselves head to foot in black bedsheets, or flogging young girls in the street with whips, or blowing up the Buddhas of Bamiyan, but I figured you already knew about those.

And anyway, your question was, as I understood, rhetorical and sarcastic, so I answered in the same spirit.

If that seemed smug and disingenuous to you, then I extend to you my most heartfelt, humble, and sincere apology.

51


I understand. I thought you were taking issue with my previous post about the opium trade in Afghanistan, but I see now that’s not the case.

And having been away from the PWI forum for so long, I had forgotten the cardinal rule that when speaking about our Islamic enemies, “if you can’t say something nasty, don’t say nothin’ at all.”

This is, after all, serious business.

52

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
I understand. I thought you were taking issue with my previous post about the opium trade in Afghanistan, but I see now that’s not the case.

And having been away from the PWI forum for so long, I had forgotten the cardinal rule that when speaking about our Islamic enemies, “if you can’t say something nasty, don’t say nothin’ at all.”

This is, after all, serious business. [/quote]

Pretty serious to some people:

But Hitler did good things also, so I see where you’re coming from.

55

[quote]pushharder wrote:

I can read that statement 1,000 times and all I’ll see is motes and planks and a long, bony finger pointed directly at Uncle Sam.
[/quote]

I don’t care what anyone else says, Push ol’ buddy. There is nothing wrong with your reading comprehension.

My reference was, of course, was to Matthew 7:3-5, but a devout man such as yourself would have caught that.

And that long bony finger? That’s the Grim Reaper’s.

57

Damn. Varq, you’re clearly defending a moot point here. You can try to vilify the military actions in Afghanistan all you wish, but the fact remains that the now deceased Taliban was a member of an organization, perhaps a fairly powerful member, that openly supports terrorist activities around the world.

Ignoring the drug trafficking entirely, he’s still a target because he’s a member of the Taliban. Period. Whether he was currently involved in something “nefarious” is irrelevant.

58

[quote]Jeffe wrote:
Damn. Varq, you’re clearly defending a moot point here. You can try to vilify the military actions in Afghanistan all you wish, but the fact remains that the now deceased Taliban was a member of an organization, perhaps a fairly powerful member, that openly supports terrorist activities around the world.

Ignoring the drug trafficking entirely, he’s still a target because he’s a member of the Taliban. Period. Whether he was currently involved in something “nefarious” is irrelevant.[/quote]

I’ve gone back and reviewed my posts, Jeff, and I find no evidence that I vilified any military actions, nor defended any moot points.

I admit, though, that trying to decipher what I actually think about stuff can be challenging from just reading my posts, because I don’t tend to speak in absolutes. So for the sake of clarity, here is what I actually think about this topic, and it’ll be my final word on this thread.

  1. Taliban bad. Bad bad bad.

  2. Taliban sometimes do stuff not so bad, but mostly, do bad stuff. Bad bad bad.

  3. Scottish sniper make good shot. Good good. Too bad waste two bullets.

  4. Musa maybe really Taliban, maybe not. Dead anyway.

  5. 50 caliber sniper rifle good (but I keep M14).

  6. Opium trade no go away.

  7. Terrorism no go away.

  8. Taliban maybe go away, maybe not.

  9. War in Afghanistan no go away.

  10. Someday, USA and UK go away from Afghanistan. Nothing change.

I don’t know if I can make it any clearer than that.