Posted on GunGuys on Feb. 26th:

For quite some time, Gun Guys and Freedom States Alliance have been informing you about the dangers posed by the .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle: dangers to our police, to our travelers on airlines, to our elected officials, and to the national security. Unfortunately, with the exception of the State of California, these military high-powered weapons that can shoot with accuracy from over mile away are legal and readily available.

The Honolulu Police Department recognizes this and wants them banned in Hawaii. We support our law enforcement officials, and we certainly support the Honolulu PD in their efforts to try and secure public safety.

According to a Feb. 22nd Hawaii news article:

Honolulu police call it a nightmare weapon.

They called on lawmakers to revive a bill that would ban a powerful rifle in Hawaii.

The .50 Caliber sniper-style gun is much bigger than other assault rifles, so is its ammunition….

Police said it’s so destructive it’s not even practical for hunting.

“People have said that they can use this for hunting, but the damage that it’ll do to an animal is so tremendous that it actually vaporizes the area that it strikes,” said Maj. Greg Letcourt.

As usual, the gun lobby is opposing the position of law enforcement in Hawaii. Skeptics believe the legislature is likely to pass on the opportunity to ban a powerful rifle that terrorists and assassins consider their ideal weapon despite the threat to our national security.

Per the routine of the gun manufacturers, the gun “enthusiasts” and sellers come up with misguided reasons for not prohibiting civilian ownership of the .50 caliber sniper rifle, falsely claiming the weapon is never used in crimes, or that .50 caliber sniper rifles don’t threaten civilian aircraft taxiing on the runway, or during landing or takeoff.

Both arguments are totally and completely wrong.

Unfortunately for us Americans, the threat to human life and national security posed by the .50 caliber sniper rifle is not “technical”; it’s for real.

A local man was charged today in connection with a lengthy police standoff Tuesday, after which they seized numerous firearms from his house, including a .50 caliber rifle with ammunition capable of traveling more than a mile and piercing armor.

James E. Gasser, 47, of 348 Shailor Hill Road, was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, first-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury and disorderly conduct, state police said.

-Hartford Courant

Every time a new more lethal firearm is introduced, the gun lobby claims that it is not used in crime, as a way of preventing legislation that regulates its sale and usage. They did this with assault weapons, and now assault weapons kill our police officers and our young people alike, in large numbers. Now, the gun lobby is claiming that the .50 caliber sniper rifle, a gun so powerful it can shoot an armor piercing round at accurate range up to at least a mile away, is not used in crime.

As usual, they’re wrong. The Violence Policy Center has assembled a list of .50 caliber sniper rifles associated with crimes. Most recently, a man in Connecticut - another so-called “law abiding” citizen - engaged in a stand-off with police, while armed with a .50 caliber sniper rifle.

If we wait to do something about .50 caliber sniper rifles, the gun lobby will then say only criminals use them and “law abiding” citizens should be able to continue to have them. No, there hasn’t been a mass shooting committed with a .50 caliber. But does that mean we should wait until one happens to act?

We are asking you to do three things, right now, to stop this danger:

1) Sign our petition to show that you believe that the .50 caliber sniper rifle should be restricted to military and law enforcement personnel. We need a large number of supporters to have an impact.

2) Help us gain momentum in this battle by asking at least five people to sign the petition to keep .50 caliber sniper rifles from becoming a new member of America’s permanent gun arsenal.

3) Donate, even if it is just $5.00, to Freedom States Alliance to help our state groups continue their important work in working to make our country free from gun violence.

It’s time to dig in our heels and fight back on behalf of the safety of our communities.

A 60 Minutes report two years ago, after California passed its .50 caliber ban, had a New York City police sharpshooter demonstrating the destructive power of a .50 caliber rifle. From a distance of three football fields away, the sharpshooter was able to shoot holes in a half-inch thick piece of steel. And there are companies that make special explosive or fire-starting bullets for .50 caliber guns. We urge other state lawmakers to support Adler’s bill and keep .50 caliber weapons out of New Jersey.
— Courier Post Online Editorial, April 15, 2007

This isn’t the first time this legislation has been proposed in Illinois. But enough, already. Let this be the last. The only mystery is why any legislator thinks such a monster of a weapon should be allowed, particularly in an age of terrorism.
Please, senators. Explain how a 5-foot-long weapon that can be used to attack chemical or industrial plants is worth defending for civilian use? Explain that to your largely suburban constituents, who generally support reasonable gun control measures such as these. There may be a handful of “sportsmen” who get their kicks by firing expensive, military-like weapons at small animals or targets. But to put their kicks before the public safety of millions makes no sense at all.
– Chicago Tribune Editorial, March 29, 2007

For the uninitiated, the .50 caliber rifle, which the Legislature is now considering bills to ban, is akin to those tripod-mounted numbers from World War II movies, where soldiers fed in long strings of ammo. … “Nobody’s going to hold up a 7-11 with a .50 caliber rifle,” concedes Bryan Miller, executive director of Ceasefire, NJ. “We’re talking about terrorists. In the wrong hands, this weapon can be loaded into a pickup truck and fired from as far as a mile away.” Fired at a chemical plant, nuclear facility, oil refinery or any type of installation that could blow up or release deadly toxins.
– New Jersey Star-Ledger, March 18, 2007

A local man was charged today in connection with a lengthy police standoff Tuesday, after which they seized numerous firearms from his house, including a .50 caliber rifle with ammunition capable of traveling more than a mile and piercing armor.
James E. Gasser, 47, of 348 Shailor Hill Road, was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, first-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury and disorderly conduct, state police said.
– Via Gun Guys, May 17, 2007