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- Path: sparky!uunet!haven.umd.edu!mimsy!essex.ecn.uoknor.edu
- From: callison@essex.ecn.uoknor.edu (James P. Callison)
- Newsgroups: rec.guns
- Subject: Re: Rifle in Defense ( was Re: Why are there no reliable semi-auto shotguns? )
- Message-ID: <By03rD.51z@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu>
- Date: 20 Nov 92 13:47:09 GMT
- Sender: news@mimsy.umd.edu
- Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
- Lines: 80
- Approved: gun-control@cs.umd.edu
-
- In article <13263@optilink.UUCP> cramer@optilink.com (Clayton Cramer) writes:
- #
- #In article <199211171713.AA28975@cherokee.advtech.uswest.com>, kdlin@advtech.uswest.com (David Lin) writes:
- ## When I took an AR15 shooting class from a cop, he told me the regular
- ## stuff: I wish you would never have to use it for self-defense purpose.....
- ## I'm wondering if you guys can give me a scenario in which I might want to
- ## use a rifle instead of other weapons. Thanks.
- #
- #1. You are being fired upon by a guy at a distance of more than about
- #10 yards. At this distance, either he has a long gun, and you will
- #want more accuracy than a handgun can give you. If he is firing at
- #you from a distance of more than 50 yards, the rifle is more likely
- #to reliably hit your attacker. (Yes, I will admit that this is a
- #very rare situation).
-
- Lemme guess...you've never fired a pistol, right? Or a rifle at short
- range...
- A pistol at 10 yards will be every bit as accurate as a rifle, but
- the difference is that the pistol is going to put the bullets where
- you aim, while the rifle is going to put the bullets where they
- would be at one tenth of the way to their target (i.e. they'll be
- hitting high), because the rifle is sighted in for a much longer
- distance. Besides, most combat autos will put the bullets in a
- fist-sized target at 10 yards--is that accurate enough for you?
- (SIG P226s are sighted in at the factory with groups of around
- one inch at 15m...)
-
- At 50+ yards, you're right, the rifle's a better choice. But if
- you're shooting at someone from 50+ yards and you're not a cop
- or soldier, you'd better have a good lawyer, 'cause you're more
- likely to hit an innocent bystander than your opponent at that
- distance...
-
- #2. You are dealing with a riotous mob, working its way down the
- #street, burning out businesses or homes, and you lack a 40 round
- #shotgun. (This, unfortunately, is NOT a very rare situation
- #anymore). The rifle also gives the opportunity to identify anyone
- #that appears to be ringleader or instigator of the mob. It
- #MAY, under some conditions, allow one to engage in more selective
- #actions than a handgun or shotgun, with respect to the sort of
- #wound inflicted. With a handgun or shotgun, confronting such a
- #mob, the odds are high that you will have no choice but to
- #risk giving a lethal injury. With a rifle, you are still risking
- #lethal injury to the rioters, but with some care, you may be able
- #to inflict an injury on a limb. This also has the potential to
- #kill, and the potential to maim, but may be an effective way of
- #discouraging the mob from continuing their actions at your home,
- #while minimizing loss of life.
-
- But a rifle bullet is _much_ more likely to overpenetrate, and,
- due to its higher energy, still be dangerous coming out. Especially
- if you're dumb enough to go for a limb in a riot scene. Perhaps
- that balances out the higher capacity of hi-cap 9mm... :-) If you
- can get three people with one .30-'06, and you have a 5-shot clip,
- that oughtta equal your 15+1 SIG, right? :-)
-
- And I fail to see how using a rifle makes the odds higher that
- you will be able to inflict a non-fatal wound (which, of course,
- is a Very Bad Idea (TM); you shoot to stop, not to wound, IMHO)
- with a rifle. Rifles are designed explicitly for killing things,
- and the rifle most people have are designed for killing things
- much more sturdy than human beings. I personally think that the
- rifle would increase the lethality, rather than reducing it.
-
- Of course, the 30-round mags for an AR-15/AK/etc would be
- a definite plus, and I'd certainly rather have a semi/full-auto
- rifle to protect my home during a riot...
-
- James
-
- James P. Callison Microcomputer Coordinator OU Law Library
- Callison@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu /\ Callison@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu
- constellation!biglaw!callison@mailhost.ecn.uoknor.edu
- DISCLAIMER: I'm not an engineer, but I play one at work...
- I feel lucky, I feel lucky yeah
- Hey Dwight, Hey Lyle, boys, you don't have to fight,
- Hot dog, I feel lucky tonight
- --Mary-Chapin Carpenter, "I Feel Lucky"
-
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-