Trump could pardon him on the condition he serve the equivalent of his sentence as an ICE officer.
Just as scary, a pistol-packing POTUS.
I like the part where he would have also gone after the gunmen at Bataclan. What a hero!
Stupidity and guns are such a great combination!
Agents said McDowell bought the gun […] and ammunition for $109, which he had borrowed from his grandfather.
These white supremacist don’t come across as very supreme.
“I seen what Dylann Roof did and in my heart I reckon I got a little bit of hatred,” the undercover agent recalled McDowell saying.
[snip]
Agents said McDowell bought the gun — which had the firing pin shaved down so that it would not work — and ammunition for $109, which he had borrowed from his grandfather.
It doesn’t cost much to commit terror–just a bit of hatred, $109.00, and a grandfather willing to help break the law.
This is why regulating firearms is a necessity. I served 6 in the Marine Corps, and I have to tell you, it seems pretty fortunate that most shooters/those who intend to shoot are such idiots. A competent shooter, with sound training and the desire to murder can wreak havoc. An idiot with dreams of murder can still cause great damage. The ONLY reason they can do this is because of the ubiquity of high capacity, quickly reloaded rifles and pistols.
Charles Whitman, the former Marine who shot 46 people atop the 28th floor observation deck in Texas, was a decent shot, for a Marine, and was raised by a firearms enthusiast and instructor. His primary weapons up there were a bolt action hunting rifle and a .35 caliber remington pump-action rifle. He had a shotgun and some handguns, and an M1 Carbine, but I’d guess the Carbine wouldn’t really be effective up there.
He was probably the most competent mass shooter in American history. As far as his diary indicate, this was something he had toyed with, but he left no indication of intricate planning.
If he had the weapons that the gun porn industry and it’s lobbying branch, the NRA-ILA, have made ubiquitous, he would have slaughtered many times the number.
THink about it. The pace at which Whitman could shoot would be along the lines of Pachelbel’s Canon. I want you to keep that song in your mind as you read this. That long, slow, mopey cello intro. But not even every not. Probably every 3rd or 4th note. And after 8, he’s reloading, a process that goes round by round, or even takes a few seconds if you have a stripper clip. That was for the best weapon he had. The other, the cowboy Remington, was a pump action. So he’d be looking at a little faster rate of fire, but a much slower reload time, if he had stripper clips. But it wouldn’t be as accurate. The M1 could plink out at semi-auto, so he could spray it to be ineffective, or focus on one target, but it would probably take 3 or 4 rounds to accomplish the same thing as one of the Remingtons.
Now, think about the Vegas shooter. For this one, think of Classical Gas. Now imagine a round every note, or maybe a little more. And the reload time for anyone with a modicum of practice is about a second. And think about the massive crowd he was shooting into.
If he had access to a bolt or pump loader with an internal magazine with a maximum loadout of 10 rounds? Firing at Pachelbel’s Canon rate (maybe a shot per note, tho)
Yeah, bad. Horrible. but not a devastating shit show.
I really am horrorstruck by the thought of what a competent shooter like Whitman could do today. SUre, there are millions of semi-auto rifles out there with high-capacity potential, but there were thousands and thousands of full auto weapons out there before the full auto ban on new weapons. Now, even a shitty full auto rifle costs more than a decent brand new car, and you need a serious license to own it.
Even if we put what Maryland did into effect nationally, Mags no larger than 10 rounds for semi-auto weapons, and, even better, limited them to internal mags, and limited handguns to revolvers, it might take a few decades, but the guns of today’s mass shooter would swiftly become playthings for rich enthusiasts.
Semper Fi
Terry
I guess we can assume this person doesn’t fall into the “very good people” category of white supremacists Trump is fond of.
I wonder what he told his grandfather he needed money for.
Probably “for shooting Jews” was good enough for Gramps.
heh, since gun-nuts are such detail queens, I actually checked the mag capacity on the Remington 700ADL 6mm he used probably had a 4 round capacity. So reload after every 4 shots. The 141 I can find specifics, so 8 is probably a fair estimate, as it was one of the larger calibers offered for that model.
The M1 would have probably had 20 round removable magazines. but it was underpowered. 300M max range, but after 200m, really ineffective, and probably not too accurate at the high angle Whitman was shooting from ~300 feet off the ground.
Gun porn would really be better if Jennifer Lawrence talked all that crap while sitting naked by the pool or something. Do you have a nice ass?
WHATS THAT??? Gun regulations prevented a soon to be MASS MURDERER from getting a gun and he is now going to go to jail. I thought gun regulations were worthless, people will just find another way etc etc.
He was a registered, known felon posting threats and racist bile on social media accounts. The decisions he made resulting in his arrest don’t have a damned thing to do with new or enhanced gun regulaltions many are advocating. It’s long been been illegal for felons to own guns, that isn’t new. And it’s ALWAYS stupid to make public threats of violence using weaponry.
One knucklehead racist scum getting taken down for violating a gun law does not mean all is well in Gunmaniacland.
Not sure you got the point of my post.
I am advocating for more regulations, because regulations do help stop crazy people, as seen in this case.
I know. But the chief gun regulation I see he violated had to do with his felon status. I’d hazard a guess the prohibition against felons buying or owning guns has nevertheless permitted a helluva lot of gun violence and death, looming legal peril for violators notwithstanding.
Until the possession of guns is limited to well regulated militias we’re always going to have gun problems. A mountain of laws and regulations will barely limit our current troubles.
But wait, everyone, how could this story be true??? First, the accused is white; we all know that white people are A-OK. Second, he’s a 2nd Amendment supporter; we all know that only people in a “well-regulated militia” have the right to bear arms. Third, he was a conservative; we all know that conservatives are always law-abiding, family-values citizens. So, there you have why this is clearly another example of fake news trying to take away our guns. (Oh, and somehow this is obviously Obama’s fault) /s
A mandatory background check from a reputable dealer would have stopped this sale too. With the gun show loophole, though, he’d have gotten the gun if he hadn’t been stung.
I would love to have guns laws actually confirm to the 2nd, but until then doing actual background checks, closing loop holes (gun shows etc), banning assault rifles, registering guns, giving ATF computers and money etc, allowing the government to actually track gun deaths, raising the age your allowed to buy a gun, etc etc etc. Lots of low hanging fruit that would make a real dent in the amount of people dying.