SIG "Adaptable Carbine Platform" (Video)

Original source from HERE

Men arrested with 30 altered AK-47 Rifles in vehicle (Afganistan)

Terrorists brandish AK's

Two British private security contractors and two of their Afghan colleagues have been arrested by police in Kabul and told to close their company after 30 AK-47 rifles were found in their car boot...
All had their serial numbers scratched off and the men had no permits for them...
President Karzai has ordered all mercenary firms operating in the country to shut down by March, to be replaced by a government-run force.
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Full story at Morning Star UK
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Story slings about the term "Mercenaries" (Which they are NOT) for these Private Security Contractors, not even trying to hide their sensationalist bias. True "Mercenaries" are "Soldiers for hire", who play offense against the enemy. Private Security Contractors play only defense against the enemy (In the Middle East). Huge difference. Only the stupid, gullible or those with an agenda confuse the two.  As for these fellows being caught with serial number "sanitized" Kalashnikovs on them. Who knows, but clearly someone F'd up. I will say that it is nothing unusual about Spy Agencies issuing sanitized weapons for special operations (along with sanitized uniforms, equipment, etc) to ensure "plausible deniability" if something goes sideways and some people get killed and the body is unable to be extracted with the team. It is unclear if this was the case here. These people are in for a living hell, as Afgan jails are extremely unpleasant places to be...(S9)

For local departments, assault rifles keep them prepared for the worst

Local law-enforcement officers are often allowed to purchase assault guns that civilians cannot, but only for on-duty use and under department approval, police officials said.
Orange County police officials say the overall increased use of assault weapons by local agencies was an outgrowth of the North Hollywood bank shootout in 1997, when two heavily armed and armored bank robbers stood off dozens of Los Angeles officers in a 45-minute gunbattle. The robbers were eventually killed, but 11 officers and six civilians were injured..."Departments, ours included, started looking at ways to provide first-responders adequate firepower in cases like this," Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. "We went through a long process of evaluating weaponry.
Bertagna said that while the department's SWAT team carries multiple high-powered weapons, it doesn't work around the clock, and it can sometimes take a while to arrive.
Certain officers were selected to carry AR-15-style rifles, based on experience and training..."The weapon is not to be purchased for sale, transfer or personal use," he said. "They are basically buying the weapon for use when they are working here."....
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Full story at Orange County Register
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The writer of this piece (of doggerel) clearly does not know much about firearms, and slings around terms for these firearms from both the anti-gun nuts favorite fantasy playbook ("assault weapons") to the more correct "AR-15 Style rifles". The piece covers the highly restricted rules several Southern California Police departments employ for officers carrying semi-auto rifles that are banned for regular citizens under the ridiculous, arbitrary and unconstitutional California gun laws. It is ironic that these semi-autos are treated as if they were full automatics ("machine guns"), that officers are not allowed to use the rifles for "personal use", and when retired, must either destroy the firearm or take it out of California (or risk being arrested themselves). This LAPD "Urban Police Rifle Cadre" is similar to the U.S. Army's "Designated Marksman" program. In California, even the Police are not trusted with guns, even simple, commonplace semi-autos that are hardly given a glance in most other "Free" States, are seen as "Evil Guns" there. Notice how high the crime rate is in California compared to other States. This is not an accident, and their anti-gun attitude is a direct reason for it...Fools...(S9)

Man arrested for possessing paintball "assault rifles" (Kuala Lumpur)

An engineer who carried two “assault rifles” into his hotel room was nabbed when alarmed guests alerted the authorities.
A police party stormed the room at the four-star hotel before arresting the 34-year-old man at about 10.30pm on Thursday.
He did not put up any resistance and claimed that the “weapons” were bought from the United States to be used in paintball activities.
City deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Amar Singh said the rifles a Tiberius T9.1 and a Milsig K-series had the “same feel and weight” as real assault rifles.
He said checks revealed that the man did not have a permit to possess such weapons.
“With slight modifications, the weapons could be made to fire projectiles such as metal ball bearings, which could cause serious injuries...
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Full story at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/24/nation/10154645&sec=nation
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The Engineer was obviously not too bright, carrying the paintball guns openly in a hotel was asking to cause a panic and put the finger on himself. He assumed since the paintball guns cannot fire cartridge ammunition, they must be OK to possess. He didn't do his research of local weapons laws, a bad mistake. This country is a Police State and prefers it's population to be unarmed sheep, so of course even "fake" guns are a "threat".  Speaking of Fascism, notice the Police used the same "scare tactics" common with US anti-gun nuts. When they found they were merely paintball guns, they immediately went to what they "MIGHT be able to do" if modified (which is against the law also, and admittedly still less-lethal compared to cartridge ammunition), rather than what they in fact CAN do (fire non-lethal paintballs).  Diversionary fantasy designed to scare the ignorant and justify the arrest. Liberty vs. Tyranny is a moot point in such Police State societies...(S9)

Army issues tender for multirole assault rifles (India)

Troops with INSAS rifles

Seeking to boost the firepower of troops to undertake conventional and counter-insurgency operations, the Army has issued a tender for procuring over 60,000 multi-role assault rifles. In the global Request for Proposal (RFP) issued to 34 vendors, the Army has stated requirement for a gun which has two barrels that can be used in different types of operations, army sources said here. For counter-insurgency operations, we want the guns to be equipped with barrels of 7.62mm calibre bullets, and for conventional warfare, we want the gun to fire 5.56mm bullets, they said. The multi-role assault rifles are being procured to replace the existing INSAS series of rifles from the Infantry battalions, they said....
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Full story found HERE
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Sounds like Indian Army wants to have it's cake and eat it too. It remains to be seen if the imaginary "super assault rifle" will see the light of reality...(S9)

Air Force rolls out new rifle qualification course

Airmen taking the new Air Force Rifle Qualification Course are finding themselves learning more than just basic marksmanship skills.

Changes requiring more intensive weapons training were published in September by the Air Force Security Center and officially took effect Dec. 1.

"Our combatant commanders identified over the last 10 years that we needed to move away from the Cold War-era style of qualification and give our Airmen quality training," said Master Sgt. Scott Brown, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe combat arms program manager at Ramstein Air Base, Germany...

The major changes in the qualification course include more stringent time constraints, required wear of a combat helmet and body armor, movement during fire, and different firing tactics, said Staff Sgt. Marc Rodriguez, a 52nd Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. Also, there are now three skill assessments, or tables, in which some Airmen will participate.

As a result of the training changes, the number of rounds fired and the additional qualification stages increase the length of classroom training as well as time on the range. Bases that have already used the new curriculum have found the course now takes 10 to 12 hours to complete.

Growing pains are expected with the new course, Duerr said. However, the training is intended to hone Airmen's weapons skills to provide a better equipped and trained warfighter to combatant commanders downrange. The training may be difficult, but it is not impossible.

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Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/air-force-rolls-out-new-rifle-qualification-course-38755/#ixzz1fun5OwVG
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Air Police in Vietnam started the trend, using dogs and APC's with heavy machineguns on patrol to protect the flightline (since Charlie Cong was fond of RPG and satchel charge attacks sneaking through the wire).  Today, enlisted airmen are more likely to be involved in infantry style combat than ever before. A good move for the pigeon boys  -  (S9)

Sales Of Rifles To Fort Smith Officers Stopped by Feds

Authorities in Fort Smith have stopped the sale to police officers of semi-automatic rifles that were bought with asset forfeiture money...City directors agreed in July to use the funds to buy 115 AR-15 rifles with the city to keep 15 and offer the remaining 100 to officers at a cost of $917.70...federal authorities told them ...that the money can't be used to help officers buy weapons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Debbie Groom said the matter is under review...
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Full article at 4029 TV: 

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The Fed's reasoning is that asset forfeiture funds can lead to police corruption. For example, some departments were making questionable stops in order to confiscate automobiles, or suspect drug arrests in order to confiscate cash from pushers. Departments below the Mason-Dixon line have a reputation for things of this nature, warranted or not...(S9)

(From LA on the Laptop)

Honduras: 300 police rifles "disappear" as drug running soars

Brazilian soldier with scoped full sized FAL

Honduran police officials gave contradictory responses on Nov. 1 to a report published the day before about the disappearance of some 300 light automatic rifles (FAL, from the initials in Spanish) and 300,000 5.56-caliber bullets from a police unit. The weapons, which were in the control of the Cobras special operations police group, were taken from a Tegucigalpa warehouse in August or September...National Police spokesperson Silvio Inestroza insisted that this was an old case, referring to the similar disappearance of 186 weapons in 2007, also from a Cobras unit. But Police Internal Affairs director Simeón Flores said that a new arms theft had been reported two months earlier, and he asked why it hadn't been investigated...
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Full story at WW4 Report
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Another example smashing the Administration and renegade Democrat lies about US civilian firearms being the main cause of Cartels obtaining guns to arm their murderous thugs. These FN-FAL's are apparently chambered for 5.56mm ammunition (not "bullets"). It is unclear if these are Belgium made or contracted weapons. (S9)
[From LA on the laptop]

Police display Abu Omar network firearms

No.5 SMLE "Jungle Carbine(1956-Malaya)

The National Police displayed on Tuesday evidence confiscated from members of the Abu Omar network, a notorious illegal weapons supplier from the Philippines.  “The suspects are part of the Abu Omar network,” National Police spokesman Saud Usman Nasution said at the National Police headquarters...The evidence, including two M16s, a “Jungle” carbine, one FN, 796 bullets and six magazines, were confiscated during the Detachment 88 raids in Tangerang, East Jakarta and Bekasi ...
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Full story at Jakarta Post
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Interesting that they described "magazines" with the correct nomenclature (not the usual incorrect "clips"), while describing the ammunition incorrectly as "bullets" rather than "cartridges". Americans often forget how oppressive Police States like Indonesia (the former "Dutch East Indies") are when it comes to firearms. In fact, many Americans lawfully own many more firearms & ammunition than this confiscated amount. The WW2 era "Jungle Carbine" is more of a collectors item, being a modified British SMLE bolt action rifle in the powerful but now obsolete .303 chambering (i.e. ammo is dwindling, although the full sized SMLE is not uncommon in south asia  with police & militia formations) - (S9)

Defence Forces to bring rifles bang up to date

Aussies w/Steyr AUG's (E.Timor')

All members of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are trained to use the Defence Forces' basic weapon, the Austrian Steyr AUG 5.56mm assault rifle.
Adopted in 1987, it was then a futuristic weapon with its built-in 1.5-power telescopic sight and superstrong plastic construction.
But wars in Afghanistan and Iraq forced Nato forces to upgrade their rifles by "adding on" a range of more powerful sights, laser pointers, grenade- launchers, night vision devices and even silencers.
The Steyr A1 used by the Defence Forces does not have "Picatinny" rails to mount most of the accessories considered essential in modern warfare.
Now a Defence Forces board has recommended the rifle be upgraded...Both the Americans and the British have adopted the Trijcon ACOG and other 4X (power) sights, which give greater magnification and some nighttime capability...
The Army Ranger Wing uses the Heckler & Koch HK 416, a modern rifle which can easily mount sights and lasers, but only a small stock is held by the Defence Forces.
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Full story here
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The Steyr, like the British Bullpup, have long had complaints from troops who use them in the field, and it is telling that their SF operators do not use them at all, preferring the HK. How many men have been killed due to unreliable rifles, shades of the early use of M-16's in Viet-Nam, where inferior ammunition caused malfunctions due to using cheap non-spec powder in the name of keeping down costs...Unconscionable...There is no excuse for sending men out with anything less than the best weapons available...(S9)

Gun store owners, feds fight in court over new requirement to report sales of multiple rifles

Feds lied & people died, to make an excuse to ban your guns

U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer questioned whether monitoring lawful gun sales is an appropriate way to stop the flow of guns to Mexican gangs. The requirement was imposed amid controversy over ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious which tried to track guns suspected of being bought by straw purchasers back to gun-smuggling ringleaders, who have long eluded law enforcement. But ATF agents lost track of 1,400 of the more than 2,000 guns identified by Fast and Furious as possibly straw purchases...
Stephen Halbrook, an attorney for Arizona-based gun dealers J & G Sales and Foothills Firearms, said previously the stores only had to turn over the data they collect on buyers — including birth dates, addresses, race and gender — in the course of a criminal investigation. He said the new requirement creates a federal database of gun buyers in violation of their privacy.
“We don’t deny the fact there is a serious problem (of guns getting into Mexico) and it needs to be dealt with,” Halbrook said, but he said the problem should be fought using more traditional law enforcement methods instead of “just a fishing expedition” to collect the personal data of buyers without probable cause.
Collyer asked whether ATF would have the authority to require the stores to report when someone buys 30 AK-47 assault rifles, and he said even then the requirement would exceed the agency’s authority from Congress and the Constitution. But he said gun sellers would typically report such a sale as suspicious.
James Vogts, attorney for the National Shooting Sports Foundation that also is suing the ATF, said the requirement applies to 8,500 dealers in the four states who have not been connected to guns recovered in Mexico. “I think the decision was hastily made, perhaps for political reasons,” he said...
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Full story @ Washington Post Politics
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Follow up from earlier "Outrage" post (and more) on this blog.  The evidence indicates the order originated from the highest levels to lie, cheat, and more to justify another unconstitutional gun ban in the USA, no matter who was hurt or killed in the process, the end justifying the means...(S9)

Should assault rifles be prohibited or banned for civilians?(Canada)

Dan Styles, who served in Afghanistan with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, spends a lot of his personal time at the shooting range near his home...his personal firearms collection contains modern, sleek, semi-automatic rifles, which he says are light, accurate, durable and pleasing to shoot.
One of his preferred weapons, for instance, is a Chinese-made M14 semi-automatic rifle. For years, the M14 served as the standard-issue battle rifle for American soldiers, and is now used by sharpshooters in Iraq and Afghanistan...Some Canadians are alarmed that registered firearms users such as Mr. Styles have legal access to such weapons, which are considered “civilianized” (SIC) models of modern military-assault rifles. Although these high-powered rifles are seldom used in crimes in Canada, many gun-control advocates want them banned in the name of public safety...“The pervasive rumour that non-restricted firearms will be broadly reclassified is categorically false,” says Julie Carmichael. “There are no plans to alter the process in which firearms are classified.”That hasn’t stopped gun-control advocates demanding just such a reclassification...
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Full biased article is from the National Post
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I have always had issue with why I should not own a semi-auto version of what I carried when I was an active duty "Snuffy".  When I was a kid, I was on Rifle Team shooting smallbore .22, so I could never see the mindset that as an older and experienced veteran I somehow "suddenly" became untrustworthy to own a simple rifle. That is how you politicize people, gun-grabbers take note. A bit of contradictory information here, still better than the usual fully ignorant comments however (I have a hard time calling an M-14 pattern rifle "ultra-modern", "intimidating", "leading edge" and "light" since the design goes back to the 1940's and that sucker gets a might "heavy" if you have to hump it for any serious distance! *LOL*). This reporter tries to ride the fence as best as possible yet shows a "love/hate" relationship, even when admitting such firearms are rarely used in crime (by "common criminals" at least: kind of difficult to mug someone or rob a bank with a 20 pound 4.5 foot long rifle, Wot?). The usual tactic of claiming "Police" & "Gun Control" advocates as a united front to ban firearms when we all know those "police" advocates are high ranking political police chief types, not the Street Cops, most of who know better. This particular article has merit, however, for the comments posted at the end, most of which are 100% spot on and crush their opponents with intellectual and factual skill. I must admit these Pro-Liberty Canadians remind me of thier California counterparts, who also have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs against the radical Prohibitionists, so don't neglect to check out the affray after reading the full article. Here is one very good one by "Eupraxsopher": Hundreds of millions of people in North America have been using hundreds of millions of rifles safely for three hundred years. The AR-15 was a civilian semi-auto rifle before the US Army saw the design and changed it into full-auto M-16 nearly 50 years ago.
Almost every rifle in the world was a military design at one point.  Semi--auto hunting rifles and shotguns have been lovingly used afield for over 100 years. They shoot the same 50 and 100 year old cartridges. So now they have a pistol grip and a cheap plastic stock. So what?
If people claim that plastic and ergonomics make such a huge difference, then how did that nutter in the UK murder so many people with an Elmer Fudd double barreled shotgun and a .22 rabbit rifle? Obviously, it's about finding and treating mental illness. The mushrooms that commit mass murder grow in the shade but most of them have violent histories and obvious flaws. Cho of Virginia Tech was under court order to get involuntary treatment for his violent mental disorder. It was never served. Want to stop violent people?  Start a violent offender registry of psychopaths and thugs, then track and inspect them at random. Watch the murder rate plummet...
Couldn't have said it better myself...Right on point, Eh?...(S9)

"Homemade Firearms" proliferate (Africa)

In Cameroon, the growing spread of homemade firearms is causing concern amongst the population. Alarmed by the rise of domestic accidents and roadside robberies, the authorities are looking for ways to curb the possession of these illegal and dangerous toys..."The firearm Giulien Tchouangang used is a homemade 5.5mm calibre rifle which was modified into a 12 mm calibre that is used for hunting," says Sergeant Wassaing Albert, who heads the Bangou gendarmerie...Tchawako Jean does not have a licence to carry firearms and says he inherited the gun from his father, as is customary in Cameroon. "Our firearms are handed over from father to son. These weapons are used for hunting and to parade during traditional ceremonies."...homemade weapons are illegal. "First, you need authorisation from the prefecture to purchase a gun, then a licence to carry it," he explains. Since the law on the possession of firearms is very strict, roadside robbers are increasingly using homemade firearms. Attempts to the control the spread of these deadly toys have met with opposition from traditional chiefs, who perceive such measures as an attempt to undermine their power...
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Biased "analysis" from AllAfrica
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So, this "author", fond of using loaded terms such as "toys" in reference to firearms, claims the laws are "strict", yet seems astonished that people will not be stopped by these laws and will...*gasp*... build "homemade" firearms. This is what results when you keep people ignorant and curious about arms rather than teaching respect for the capabilities of firearms. Again, the technological genie is out of the bottle, never to be returned, despite the pipe dreams and totalitarian efforts of the firearms prohibitionists...(S9)

Firearms advocates dislike registration of long guns, ban on open-carry

California gun advocates are taking aim at a series of new laws that require rifle and shotgun registration while making it illegal to openly carry unloaded handguns in public.
"There will be lawsuits, that's for sure," said Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, a nonprofit gun rights lobby.
Gov. Jerry Brown cleared a multitude of legislation from his desk over the weekend, including five bills impacting gun ownership.
Four of the five bills were authored by Southern California legislators, and the fifth was penned by a San Francisco lawmaker.
"I just don't think it's going to benefit (California gun owners) in any way whatsoever," said Daniel Vaca, an employee at Kittles Outdoor and Sport Co. in Colusa.
Vaca, who has worked at Kittles for five years, said he fears the new laws will severely hamper rifle and shotgun sales throughout the state.
"In all reality, it's just crazy to register long guns," Vaca said. "I think if you have to register your gun in California, then people will just stop buying them here all together."
Many otherwise law-abiding citizens may be tempted to simply purchase their weapons out of state, Vaca speculated...
However, the governor faces heavy criticism and possibly lawsuits over his implementation of the open-carry ban and long-gun registration, which Paredes called "a form of tyranny."
"The signing of (the concealed weapons law) and the veto of AB 427 was like a gentle kiss on our cheek while he was punching us in the stomach with the others," Paredes said. "It is a full assault on the Second Amendment by a governor who used to have a good record on guns, but he destroyed that over the weekend."
Some industry experts noted that while the governor has signed the new laws, the state Attorney general decides exactly how vigorously they will be enforced....
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Full article @ Colusa Sun Herald
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More tyranny against the already long suffering law-abiding firearms owners of California by two-faced forked-tonged politicians and the meddling, cowardly do-gooding fools that know what's best for you no matter if you like it or not, victim. Tell me what sense it makes to obtain a CCW if you are hiking in the mountains, or why impossible to conceal long rifles must now be treated like concealable handguns?. No, this is merely more of the same draconian infringements that can be gotten away with against the law-abiding because this state has no RKBA in their state constitution. Understand that the anti-self defense gun haters, who futilely seek to reverse firearms technology: a genie impossible to stuff back in the bottle, will never stop until you can own nothing, and they will then even ban rocks and bottles after that...Unless you stand up for your rights beforehand. Whatcha' gonna' do when they come for you?...(S9)

Submachine guns, handguns stolen from LAPD SWAT-training site

A cache of Los Angeles Police Department submachine guns and handguns was stolen last week from a secured building used by the department's SWAT unit, raising fears that the weapons, which police had altered to fire only blanks, could be converted back to lethal use, police officials confirmed.
The weapons, which include 21 MP-5 submachine guns and 12 large caliber handguns, were moved Wednesday night to a multistory building at 14th and San Pedro streets downtown and stored in a locked box on the building's first floor, said LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Downing.  Members of the SWAT unit, which specializes in hostage rescues and other high-risk situations, were scheduled to train at the facility... Gun experts and online tutorials suggest, however, that the process is relatively simple and requires only a few parts. The company that manufactures the conversion kits used by the LAPD has an instructional video on its website that walks a viewer through the steps of returning an MP-5 to its original form in about five minutes. The parts required to change the MP-5 back to live firing were for sale on a gun supply website. It was unclear, however, what documentation or background checks would be required to purchase them. The idea that nearly three dozen high-powered submachine guns and .45-caliber handguns could make their way onto the black market or be put to use by criminals worried LAPD officials enough that they notified law enforcement agencies in the region...
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Full article at LA Times...
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LAPD can't catch a break. Trying to crush crime in a town that does not support them, under fire from Cop haters on both sides of the law, this latest gaffe does not help matters, to say the least. The MP-5's are more valuable as collectors items rather than being converted to crime guns (this batch of guns forever tainted by serial numbers, will always be  listed as stolen goods), something the thieves likely do not know...(S9)

Cox: Obama and Holder Still Pleading Ignorance on 'Fast and Furious,' But It’s Getting Harder

I would like to believe that President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder – no matter how much they oppose our Second Amendment rights – would never break the law and endanger human lives in their mission to score political points against gun owners.
I’d like to believe operation “Fast and Furious” is just another example of the Obama administration’s gross incompetence, albeit this time with tragic and deadly results. I’d like to believe that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had nothing but good intentions when it illegally helped transfer thousands of guns to violent drug lords in Mexico.
I’d like to believe this was just a misguided and foolish law enforcement operation gone horribly wrong. However, to believe all of this, I would have to ignore a lot of facts...
I would have to ignore the fact that while Holder’s BATFE was pushing illegal firearms into the hands of known Mexican criminals, President Obama was trying to push his gun control agenda by blaming American gun owners and our Second Amendment rights for Mexican drug crime. In fact, the Obama administration is now requiring gun shops in states that border Mexico to register the firearms sales of any law-abiding American who purchases more than one rifle of certain types....----
Full column by Chris W. Cox at Townhall
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Cox tells it like it is here, including the willingness to kill people to push a gun-ban agenda. Search the archives of this blog for articles that document and support these facts. This is part of the mission statement for this blog, so use these resources...(S9)

Semi-Auto ban stands in D.C.- Minority: Ban is unconstitutional

D.C. laws prohibiting assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition-feeding devices do not violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday...Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg penned the 45-page decision, stating that the District showed a “substantial relationship between the prohibition of both semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than ten rounds and the objectives of protecting police officers and controlling crime.”Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson joined Judge Ginsburg in the majority, while Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh said he was sympathetic to the police department’s goal of reducing crime by restricting access to guns but that the prohibitions were unconstitutional. 
Dick Heller, the plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case, was among a group of D.C. residents who challenged the new regulations, claiming the registration procedures, the ban on most semiautomatic weapons and other limitations violated the intent of the high court’s decision.
A U.S. District judge in March 2010 dismissed the lawsuit, and the plaintiffs appealed.
The National Rifle Association, which backed the lawsuit, said in a statement that it disagreed with the decision and would be reviewing the decision and considering all its options.
“When it comes to self-defense, semi-automatic firearms of all types are an increasingly popular choice for most Americans, and the court itself admitted that semiautomatics are in common use...
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Full story at Washington Times
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Notice that Washington Times uses the language of the prohibitionists ("Assault weapons" rather than "Semi-Automatic firearm" and "Large capacity" magazines rather than "Normal capacity" magazines. This is not a Police State and just because the Police (chief) wants something, does not mean you  ignore the Constitution just to make him happy. Please note that D.C. is not a state and has no "Keep and bear arms" language in it's founding documents, making such an unconstitutional decision easier to force through. The minority decision is correct. More stupid lawyer tricks to come...(S9)

St. Petersburg to give police officers loans to purchase semiautomatic rifles

Cops only permitted to buy Colt Brand AR's

"You don't want to be in a situation where someone is shooting at you with a rifle," said Sgt. Tim Brockman, "and you're sitting there with a handgun."
The rifle most commonly used by law enforcement is the AR-15 carbine, a civilian variant of the military's M4 rifle.
But the weapons are so expensive — they cost up to $1,000 each and need to be modified for the individual user — that many departments give them only to special units, like SWAT teams.
That's why Tampa Bay's police agencies have long allowed patrol officers to buy their own.
The problem, according to patrol Sgt. Chris Emmert, was that not every officer could afford the expense of buying and equipping such a weapon. He's spent $2,500 on his own rifle.
"The younger or newer officers on the low end of the pay scale didn't have the financial means," Emmert said, "especially when trying to support their families."...

The ultimate goal, according to Emmert, is to have more firepower than your adversary...
The nation's police agencies learned in 1997 that they can't always wait for SWAT. That's when two heavily armed bank robbers outgunned dozens of Los Angeles officers armed with only revolvers, pistols and shotguns.
In the years since, the rifles have become standard issue. When St. Petersburg finally let street officers use their own rifles in 2004, it was one of the last Tampa Bay agencies to do so.
The move was spurred in part by a 2003 St. Petersburg incident: suspects armed with SKS rifles killed a bystander in a drive-by shooting, then fired at pursuing officers.
More recently, high-powered rifles were blamed for one of the city's worst tragedies. Police said an 8-year-old girl was killed in 2009 when her house was raked by AR-15 rifles.
The St. Petersburg Police Department is poised to undergo even more tactical changes today, proposals that were also spurred by the recent officer casualties..."But I don't think the public is worried about law enforcement officers. I think they're worried about the threats law enforcement seems to be facing."
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Full Story is HERE
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Like all too many agencies, roadblocks, harassment, excessive training requirements, and fear of public reaction has kept officers from reasonably obtaining patrol rifles. For these Florida Officers, they had to actually lose people by gunfire before they were grudgingly "permitted" to have the option to obtain patrol rifles. Much too high a price just for an equipment upgrade!...(S9)

Russia: Too Many AK Rifles in Stock (Video)

Full story HERE