Jon Stewart Nails It!
Weekly DTIC: The AR-15 In Vietnam, 1962
“An unequivocal summary of the opinions of the early users of the AR-15 rifle is also given in the first part of the document
e. (C) The Combat Evaluation (Annex “A”) shows that all US Advisors and Vietnamese Commanders who participated in the evaluation prefer the AR-15 to any other weapon with which the RVNAF are now armed. The lethality of the AR-15 and its reliability record were particularly impressive. All confirmed casualties inflicted by the AR-15. including extremity hits, were fatal (see photographs 7 and 8, Annex “D”). The high degree of reliability and trouble-free performance of the weapon reflected in previous test reports (Ref 1. c., 1. d. , and 1. f. ) was also noteworthy during the testing and evaluation here. No parts breakage was encountered while firing approximately 80,000 rounds during the Comparison Test. Only two parts have been issued to date to replace breakage for the entire 1.000 weapons. Stoppages on the AR-15 are easily cleared by the individual soldier through the application of “immediate action”.
The mentioned high lethality of the AR-15 rifle is still a subject of much contention. However, in this early report, the terminal effects of the rifle are described with considerable reverence by RVNAF commanders and their US advisors in the ARPA report:
(1) (C) “On 160900 June 62, one platoon from the 340 Ranger Company was on an operation vic. YT260750 and contacted 3 armed VC in heavily forested jungle. Two VC had carbines, grenades, mines, and one had a 4 ANNEX “A” CONFIDENTIALCONFIDENTIAL SMG. At a distance of approximately 15 meters, one Ranger fired an AR-15 full automatic hitting one VC with 3 rounds with the first burst. One round in the head-took it completely off. Another in the right arm, took it completely off, too. One round hit him in the right side, causing a hole about five inches in diameter. It cannot be determined which round killed the VC but it can be assumed that any one of the three would have caused death.
…
(2.) (C) “On 9 June a Ranger Platoon from the 40th nf Regt was given the mission of ambushing an estimated VC Company. The details are as follows: a. Number of VC killed: 5 b. Number of AR-15’s employed: 5 c. Range of engagement: 30-100 meters d. Type wounds: 1. Back wound, which caused the thoracic cavity to explode. 2. Stomach wound, which caused the abdominal cavity to explode. 3. Buttock wound, which destroyed all tissue of both buttocks. 4. Chest wound from right to left, destroyed the thoracic cavity. 5. Heel wound, the projectile entered the bottom of the right foot causing the leg to split from the foot to the hip. These deaths were inflicted by the AR-15 and all were instantaneous except the buttock wound. He lived approximately five minutes.
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Five VC were hit, all five with body wounds, and all five killed. Four were probably killing wounds with any weapon listed, but the fifth was essentially a flesh wound. The AR-15 made it a fatal wound.
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(9.) (C) “On 13 April, 62, a Special Forces team made a raid on a small village. In the raid, seven VC were killed. Two were killed by AR-15 fire. Range was 50 meters. One man was hit in the head; it looked like it exploded. A second man was hit in the chest,; his back was one big hole. ” (VN Special Forces)
It’s tempting to dismiss reports this dramatic as simply exaggerated hearsay, but I do not. Naturally, these anecdotes do not make a solid and rigorous case for the .223 round having magical killing ability – only laboratory tests could do that – but I do believe they actually happened. I find it difficult to believe that the Rangers and Green Berets quoted were mistaken, and terminal effects such as they describe are possible with hits from the .223 caliber, and have been documented in other cases. When viewing pictures of some very grievous wounds caused by the 5.56mm caliber, “exploded” is definitely a word that comes to mind.”
“‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens”
“LEWISTON, ME—In the hours following a violent rampage in Maine in which a lone attacker killed at least 16 individuals and injured numerous others, citizens living in the only country where this kind of mass killing routinely occurs reportedly concluded Wednesday that there was no way to prevent the massacre from taking place. “This was a terrible tragedy, but sometimes these things just happen and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop them,” said Idaho resident Peter Carter, echoing sentiments expressed by tens of millions of individuals who reside in a nation where over half of the world’s deadliest mass shootings have occurred in the past 50 years and whose citizens are 20 times more likely to die of gun violence than those of other developed nations. “It’s a shame, but what can we do? There really wasn’t anything that was going to keep this individual from snapping and killing a lot of people if that’s what they really wanted.” At press time, residents of the only economically advanced nation in the world where roughly two mass shootings have occurred every month for the past eight years were referring to themselves and their situation as “helpless.””
We have more mass shootings than days in the year!
https://www.massshootingtracker.site/
Mass Killing Database
“James Alan Fox, Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law, and Public Policy at Northeastern University, teamed up with USA TODAY and the Associated Press to launch the Mass Killings database – a public facing website that uses interactive graphics and visuals to break down data on incidences of mass killing in the United States.”
Secret Service releases report on mass attacks in public spaces
“Following the latest string of mass shootings in the U.S., the Secret Service published a 60-page report Wednesday detailing trends in mass attacks in public spaces to share patterns with community leaders who could help prevent the next tragedy.”
The Secret Service analyzed 173 mass casualty attacks. Here’s what they found.
“The 72-page report, authored by the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center, analyzed 173 incidents that resulted in three or more individuals injured or killed across public or semi-public spaces, including businesses, schools and houses of worship. Researchers hope new insights into the behaviors of attackers will prevent future tragedies by informing bystander reporting.”
“Here are the key takeaways:
1. Nearly three-quarters of attacks carried out using firearms.
2. Saying goodbye: Nearly a quarter of attackers shared “final communications.”
3. Nearly all attackers experienced one or more significant stressors within five years of the attack.
4. Over half of attackers experienced mental health symptoms prior to or at the time of their attacks.
5. More than half of attackers were motivated by grievances and sought retaliation for perceived wrongs.
6. One-quarter of the attackers subscribed to conspiracy theories or hateful ideologies.
7. Three-quarters of the attackers exhibited concerning behavior that caught the attention of family members, friends, neighbors, classmates, co-workers and others.”
“If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.“
The Secret Service Report:
Mass Attacks in Public Spaces: 2016-2020
Making Sense of Gun Death Data
“CDC’s recently released data on 2020 U.S. gun deaths show a stunning spike in gun violence in this country. Some numbers make an immediate impact: When we see 45,222 gun deaths—the highest number ever recorded—we know there’s a problem.”
White Extremist Ideology Drives Many Deadly Shootings
As NRA and GOP started pushing for permit-less open carry laws this started happening:
When I was 30 years old, I was almost at a mass-shooting. About 10 minutes before we were going to go to lunch my phone rang. It was a customer with a problem. I told my two coworkers to go ahead to the food court at the mall and pick me something up, the call was going to take a while. They came back to work 3 hours later. They had been hiding under a table.
Man opens fire on lunchtime crowd at mall
“ATLANTA — A man wearing a grey business suit emptied a six-shot revolver into a lunchtime crowd at a shopping mall food court Tuesday, killing one man and wounding four others, then surrendered to police.”
I was in El Paso on June 30, 2019.
August 3, 2019?
Mass shooting that killed 20 in El Paso investigated as ‘domestic terrorism’: Officials
February 15, 2023, Mass Shooting number 82 on day 46 was in El Paso, Texas.
El Paso mass shooting: Everything we know about the massacre at Cielo Vista Mall
Before the latest El Paso shooting, we had a Michigan State shooting,
This Has To Stop Happening!
Follow the Money
How Much Did the NRA Spend to Support Republicans in 2020?
“In 2016, the National Rifle Association spent more than $50 million to back Donald Trump and several Republican Senate candidates, establishing itself as a major force in the election.”
Republicans pledge allegiance to a hobbled NRA
“Despite the school massacre, Donald Trump and other prominent pols are still planning to speak at an event the group is holding this week in Houston.”
National Rifle Assn
