Fort Hood Shooter Used 'Cop Killer' Armor-Piercing Handgun
WASHINGTON --- Four and a half years ago, three
police organizations in the United States issued advisories to warn officers
that a new handgun introduced into the U.S. market by a Belgium manufacturer of
military firearms represented a unique threat to the safety of police
officers.
It was a handgun that was designed to fire bullets
through body armor.
A U.S. Senator and a U.S. Congressman urged a legal ban on civilian possession of the firearm, which
began being referred to as the “cop killer gun.”
The gun, manufactured by FN Herstal of
Belgium, is lightweight and easily concealable, and was designed as a military
sidearm to complement military rifles made by the same company. One law enforcement expert referred to the
Five-Seven as “an assault rifle that fits in your pocket.”
While no police officer has reportedly been killed by a
suspect armed with a Five-Seven, it may now have taken the lives of U.S.
soldiers.
Today, several news sources are reporting that it was the Five-Seven
that Nidal M. Hasan used in his shooting attack at Fort Hood in Texas Thursday. In January 2005, the International Association of Chiefs
of Police (IACP), International Brotherhood of Police Officers (IBPO) and the
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), released
their alert to the police community at a press conference, joined by U.S.
Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Elliott Engel of New York.
When first launched for civilian sales, company officials
wrote on the company website that “enemy personnel, even wearing body armor can
be effectively engaged up to 200 meters. Kevlar® helmets and vests as well as
the CRISAT protection will be penetrated.” That language has since been removed
by FN Herstal.
In early 2005, Brady Campaign staff purchased the weapon
at a Virginia gun dealer and test-fired it.The bullets successfully penetrated a police Kevlar vest. As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots
organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign,
with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, works to enact and
enforce sensible gun laws, regulations and public policies.
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Talking about guns here, many law enforcement officers have been carrying stun guns these days which is commonly referred to as Tasers, after the brand-name variation of the system. The reason why they use to carry such thing is because they offer a substitute for weapons. Though Tasers are allegedly non-lethal, an increasing number of fatalities have been associated with stun guns despite community outcry against their use. The suits are costing huge cash advances for all of the police forces that are having to pay out.
The Brady Campaign is simply a media whore who is trying to boost their revenues with this fundraising letter. A rubber-stamp bought and paid for from a few second and third tier police associations lends an air of respectability to this load of tripe. Facts are not relevant when your only goal is to separate dollars from the anti-gun, firearm-ignorant sheeple on their mailing list. They mention their brothers-in-arms (pardon the pun) Chuckles Schumer and Elliott Engel who presumably are also using the innocent blood of our servicemen and women to line their re- election campaign coffers and boost their polling results.
1. The post was under a state of disarmament in this hall. That's exactly what the Brady Bunch recommends.
2. A gunman snuck a gun in and opened fire in this gun-free zone. He's making a common sense decison, selecting a defense-free zone to commit his mayhem--the kind of zone recommended by the Brady bunch.
3. The police respond, as they are the ones with weapons. In as little as four minutes, IIRC. Again, exactly following the Brady recommendations that only the police be armed.
4. The gunman is neutralized by police--and the mayhem is over in about seven minutes. And, in those seven minutes, thirteen people are killed and what--31?--are wounded.
Exacatly following the protocols and policies of the Brady Bunch.
Only those with a delusional set of principles would consider Brady firearms policies rational.
gun control: the belief that a woman raped and strangled with her own hose is morally superior to one who defends herself with a firearm.
When I was in service [57-65] personnel living
on base were forbidden from keeping private firearms --period. On some small sites, hunting
and marksmanship guns cud be left with the base
police and checked out if departing and checked
in when returning...At a large installation lik
e Ft Hood there shud be NO private arms on base
as it is impossible to prevent deranged folk
doing what Hasan did. Columbine HS was a lot
smaller and still was a bloodbath. DOD must get
all non- military arms off all bases ASAP and,
like rape and other crimes, remind ALL person-
nel that possession is subject to dismissal [of
ficers] and a Dishonorable Discharge plus long
hard time [enlisted]...Military bases are under
absolute control and shud be: There is no excus
e for any of our military members being killed
by anyone else--especially as they prepare to
deploy abroad, against our foes...Aaron Allen..
This is a predictable response from an organization which is openly anti-Constitution. The ammo they are trying to refer to was BANNED in the US about the time it hit the market, and effectively was never imported into the US.
I also have no doubt they used the lowest possible level of PROTECTIVE vest (NOT bullet resistent) to bias their supposed results to fit their agenda. Afterall to do otherwise would require honesty and an understanding of physics - neither of which are usefull when your pitch is based solely on emotions.
I am not a gun person in the sense that I can speak to the pros and cons of a certain handgun or rifle or caliber. I simply know what I like to shoot and what I carry. I have a FN 5.7 that I carry. I am 54 and a woman and although it is not my gun of choice (Glock 21 is) the FN is easier for me to carry.
The FN is not going to be a street gun - as it is very expensive. Once I tried it and liked it - it took a while for us to save the money to buy it - Many, many handguns in America can be purchased for less.
I love the picture chosen - lets just add some goodies to make it look bigger and worse than it is. Just more lies to get an agenda through.
Autos kill more people in America than guns do - but the point of big government taking over control of all aspects of the citizen's life is that no citizen is armed. It is why our Founding Fathers put the 2nd Amendment in the Constitution - to keep us Free.
Put people like Hasan to death or in prison - no possibility of parole and no plea bargins or deals with any crime committed at gun point - and America will begin to see a reduction in gun crimes.
For the rest of American citizens - I still have to ask - What part of 'shall not be infringed' - does the Brady Campaign and DC not understand?
Let’s stop blaming the weapon and the supposed harassment this traitorous killer was probably never a victim of. I am an American born citizen of Lebanese descent, a veteran of the Iraq War, and a proud member of the NRA. I'm also sick and tired of all the lame excuses by the Brady Bunch and the apologists who think that the 9/11 attack and the global jihad against the West is the fault of the West. Perhaps, personnel aboard bases here in the U.S. will now be allowed to carry personal weapons just as they already do outside of the gate where concealed carry is legal . We presently have 45+ states that have some sort of CCW/OCW laws that allow law abiding citizens to bear arms. Now we need to clean up the so-called “gun free zones” like college campuses, military bases, shopping malls, and other “checkerboard” crime zones so that people can defend themselves against a sudden armed attack. The Justice Department’s own Bureau of Justice Statistics bears out the total fallacy of gun control and the effectiveness of an armed citizenry.
State Law Enforcement 1988-2004, Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006-2007, Teacher 2010-Present, NRA Member -Life
Ever since President Bill Clinton created the law in 1993 that all military bases are to be "gun-free zones" this tragedy as been headed toward us. Gun-free zones are the most fertile ground for violence and the criminal knows that.
In the case of Fort Hood it is a base filled with soldiers trained and trusted with firearms but nevertheless they are banned form carrying them. If they cannot be trusted with firearms they what is the use in training them? Had the base been filled with trained and armed military personal, this would not have happened and if it did it would not have been so tragic. It would have been stopped long before the five minutes that slipped by while the police were in route.
Hasan's actions would have been met with a barrage of bullets that would have ended the massacre before it took such a toll. That is guaranteed!
I doubt this issue will be raised by the anti-gun, liberty killing politicians, but it is a valid point. Gun-free zones are full of helpless victims and that makes the mouths of criminals, thirsty to kill, water .
NO gun law on the books has ever been proven to even slow gun crime commission down, much less make stop it. They do however tilt the game in the favor of gun-totting criminals who laugh at such laws.
From Wikipedia:
"The Five-Seven and 5.7x28mm ammunition were the target of brief controversy in the United States in 2004[16] when it was claimed by the Brady Campaign that commercially available SS192 penetrated a Level IIA vest in testing .[19] However, armor piercing variants of the 5.7x28mm are only offered to law enforcement and military customers.[6] Commercially available variants of the 5.7x28mm cartridge are classified by the ATF as being not armor piercing[17] and it was claimed that the SS192 and SS196 cartridge variants did not penetrate Kevlar vests in tests conducted by FNH USA.[17]
The Five-Seven pistol and 5.7x28mm cartridge were specifically targeted for a U.S. federal ban in 2005, which failed.[20]"
Thus, unless Hasan was using
"the armor piercing variants of the 5.7x28mm...only offered to law enforcement and military customers," this article has little relevance, as so far as I know none of the victims were wearing body armor and they could have been just as easily killed/injured by a 38 Special (and Hasan was also carrying a revolver, but he was wounded before being able to fire it. According to e mails I read, reportedly from eye witnesses, Hasan was no combat shooter, and in was put down while fumbling with his magazines.
For those of you who - apparently- believe that 'If there were a law forbidding...' then these murders would not have happened.
1.* ALL* military bases have rules defining just who does and does not have permission to bear arms. These rules have the full force and effect of federal law. Major Nidal, being a psychiatrist and not in a combat zone, was not authorized to be armed. Violation of this is a Military (Federal) Offense punishable by death or life in prison at hard labor .
2. What about the law (s) against murder ?? Major Nidal violated civil, military and federal law by willful killing. Given the information released to date, he could have done much the same damage with an axe or machete.
The issue is not the tool. The issue is the will and conviction of the perpetrator to carry out the crime . The tool or tools can be made or acquired just about anywhere given the knowledge.