"Law-abiding 50 Caliber Owner Has a Bad Day
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

New Jersey's 50 Cal Ban Should Pass
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

"Godzilla's Gun"
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

Columnist: New Terrorism Calls for a New Gun Ban
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

Now is the Time To Rid Our Country of These Dangerous and Unnecessary Rifles
New Jersey is overrun with tempting targets for a terrorist with a .50-caliber rifle in his hands: chemical manufacturing and holding facilities; oil refineries; rail yards and rail lines; Newark Liberty International Airport; shipping lanes; port facilities; trucking terminals; hazardous-waste facilities. One well-placed salvo might be all it takes to unleash havoc. It is stupid and senseless to allow such a risk.
-- New Jersey Home Tribune, March 9, 2007

New Jersey Becomes Latest State to Propose .50 Cal Ban
"We can wait for the first time mayhem occurs in our country before we ban civilian sale of these weapons," said Bryan Miller, Ceasefire NJ executive director, "but then dozens of people will likely have died." Gregory Paw, director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, endorsed the legislation. Paw spent 11 months in Iraq advising the new Iraqi government in its war crimes cases against Saddam Hussein and said there are documented attacks by insurgents with .50-caliber weapons. "The only thing that comes out of this weapon is evil," Paw said.
-- Associated Press, March 6, 2007

Sign the Latest Statement Against .50 Caliber Sniper Rifles!
Make your voice heard, and let America know about the latest threat to our national security. These firearms don't belong on our streets, and they don't belong in the hands of terrorists. Sign the statement now, and afterwards, get a chance to tell your friends, coworkers, and family about our campaign.

Iraqi Insurgens are Using Austrian .50 caliber rifles from Iran
Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned. More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids... A Foreign Office spokesman said last night: "Although we did make our worries known the sale unfortunately went ahead and now the potential that these weapons could fall into the wrong hands appears to have happened." The rifle can pierce all body armour from up to a mile and penetrate armoured Humvee troop carriers.
-- The Daily Telegraph, February 13, 2007

Police on Lookout for Suspicious Men Around .50 Cal Plant
Police are on the lookout for a man described as being of Middle Eastern descent who tried to gain access to a firearms plant in Murfreesboro. Rutherford County sheriff's deputies were called to the Barrett Firearms Manufacturing plant Thursday. Barrett Firearms makes 50-caliber rifles for the military, which has used them in combat since the 1991 Gulf War. The powerful gun is also sold to the general public.
-- Action News Memphis, January 28, 2007

Board Targets Assault Weapons
Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins Hudgins initially asked that the board endorse passage of new legislation sponsored by Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) that would prohibit the sale or transfer of 50-caliber sniper rifles and require that such weapons currently in private collections be registered with the federal government.
-- Washington Post, May 16, 2006

Congressman Calls for Tighter Gun Control Laws
"Virginia Congressman Jim Moran and Virginians Against Handgun Violence are stepping up efforts to ban 50-caliber sniper rifles. ...H.R. 654, that would prohibit the sale or transfer of 50-caliber sniper rifles, and require those types of rifles already in private collections to be registered under the National Firearms Act."
-- WTOP, May 15, 2006

Web site exposes Air Force One defenses
"The document also shows the location where a terrorist armed with a high-caliber sniper rifle could detonate the tanks that supply oxygen to Air Force One's medical facility."
-- San Francisco Chronicle, April 8, 2006

Prosecutors: Suspect in meth case was plotting bombings
"A southern Minnesota man had stockpiled dozens of guns and assembled two 62-pound bombs in what authorities claim was a plot to attack a Rice County judge, prosecutor and deputy sheriff. ...found nearly 50 weapons including a .50-caliber single-shot rifle."
-- Associated Press, April 04, 2006

Feinstein warns of border danger from .50-caliber sniper rifles; Easy-to-buy sniper rifle has mile-long range, could penetrate steel armor, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Mar 24, 2006

"The threat that the 50 caliber sniper rifle poses to US security is well known. ... A leading manufacturer of the 50 caliber even touts its ability to bring down a modern jet aircraft with ammunition that can be purchased for less than 10 U.S. dollars. Time magazine recently ran a profile detailing how the 50 caliber could be used to attack nuclear power plants." Congressman James P. Moran, Falls Church News Press, February 23-26, 2006

Report Profiles Nuclear-Plant Attackers: "...recommendations to require guard forces at reactors to be capable of defending against ... .50-caliber armor piercing ammunition." Associated Press, Feb. 22, 2006

Video News about the .50 Caliber Rifle:

WHOI News Footage, July 2005
Click picture to see video

News from 50CaliberTerror.com: Time magazine's article on the threat to Nuclear Reactors from .50 Caliber Rifles., June 28, 2005

Video News about the .50 Caliber Rifle:

Inside Albany News Footage, June 2005
Click picture to see video

News Footage from New York and New Jersey, June 2005
Click picture to see video

Peoples supports call for ban on .50-caliber rifles. "As a person from a family of avid hunters, I know we have to protect the rights of hunters and target-shooting sportsmen, but this weapon has no place in society," said Assemblywoman Crystal D. Peoples (D-Buffalo), The Buffalo News, May 28, 2005

Group Targets .50-Cal. Rifle, "Pelosi offered a brochure Barrett's company used in the past to market the .50-caliber to the military. It boasts that the gun can hit a jet airplane or a helicopter in just the right spot, 'making it capable of destroying multi-million dollar aircraft with a single hit delivered to a vital area.'", The [Syracuse] Post-Standard, May 27, 2005

Dangerous gun fun: "If someone is so determined to have "downright fun" by firing .50-caliber weapons, no doubt there's a U.S. military recruitment center just down the street, eager for visitors," Chicago Tribune, April 14, 2005

John Lott (AKA Mary Rosh) thinks terrorists should be able to buy .50 caliber sniper rifles, Washington Times, April 11, 2005

Guns for Terrorists, "If a background check shows that you are an undocumented immigrant, federal law bars you from buying a gun. If the same check shows that you have ties to Al Qaeda, you are free to buy an AK-47," New York Times, April 4, 2005

Tough on terror, weak on guns, Salon.com, 3/28/05

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