File Under: Possible, But Not Likely
From CBS4Boston.com:
5 Arrested After Machine Gun Shooting In Yarmouth
Seeing how Airsoft pellet guns are desribed as "high-powered" weapons by the news media, on a regular basis, I have my doubts as to the accuracy of that headline.
But, hey, it sure sounds sca-a-a-ary!
The caption on the photo accompanying the story calls the weapon a "DEC Tech-9mm Machine Pistol" [yeah, I know, but it's close enough by CBS Standards - ed.], which even Dianne "Turn 'em in!" Feinstein knows is nothing more than a semiautomatic handgun.
From Wikipedia (FWIW):
Question: If this was a KG-9, converted to a fully-automatic weapon, (A) why did they call it a Tec-9, (b) why no charges for illegal possession of a machinegun, and (c) where are the Feds?
Answer: Because it wasn't a machine gun these useless little Tupac-wannabe's were shooting at the guy's house. Now, it's possible that it was. But it's also possible the Patriots are gonna call me up to play defensive end against the Jaguars on Christmas Eve.
Sure, that gun looks all scary, and gangsta and shit. And, yeah, stories like this are likely to help Jarrett Barrios get his next round of "common sense" gun control pushed through the legislature faster than you can say "It's FOR THE CHILDREN!".
So, why let accurate journalism ruin a pefectly good opportunity to shit on (what's left of) the rights of law-abiding gun owners in this state?
Quote of the Day honors from this incident go to Yarmouth Police Sgt. John Fallon:
Sorry, Sarge, but that gun, like ever other gun produced in the history of modern firearms manufacturing, can't "do" anything.
It's simply a chunk of metal and plastic - perfect for flogging a dead horse with.
Now, if some scumbag lowlife were to pick it up and make a series of conscious decisions to actually load it, aim it at someone, and pull the trigger, then that's a different story.
I realize that's not a popular version of that story around here, as it places the blame for an individual's actions on (GASP!) the individual.
What kind of sick world would that be?
UPDATE: From The Yarmouthport Register:
And, from Channel 12 Eyewitness News in Providence (via the AP):
Perhaps the CBS4 story was the "fake, but inaccuarate" version.
Either way, feel free to put this one right where if clearly belongs, in the ever-expanding "Massachusetts Gun Control Success Stories" file.
Gun Control: Becuase a gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen represents a far greater danger to society that a kitchen knife/length of rope/SUV in the hands of a violent criminal.
UPDATE II: Seems the jury's still out on this one. From the Yarmouthport Register (also dated 12/11/06):
Stay tuned for tomorrow's Boston Globe write-up, where this weapon will be transformed into a belt-fed anti-aircraft gun.
5 Arrested After Machine Gun Shooting In Yarmouth
Seeing how Airsoft pellet guns are desribed as "high-powered" weapons by the news media, on a regular basis, I have my doubts as to the accuracy of that headline.
But, hey, it sure sounds sca-a-a-ary!
Yarmouth police responded to a report of shots fired at 447 Winslow Gray Road at 3 a.m. Twenty-year-old Austin Avelar was inside the home when the shots rang out.
"Someone knocked on the door...then gunshots came through the window," said Avelar, who was not injured.
The suspects fled the scene in a black SUV.
State Police pulled over the suspected vehicle in Fitchburg some two hours later. Troopers found the 9mm Machine pistol believed used in the shooting and a 44-caliber revolver in the SUV.
The caption on the photo accompanying the story calls the weapon a "DEC Tech-9mm Machine Pistol" [yeah, I know, but it's close enough by CBS Standards - ed.], which even Dianne "Turn 'em in!" Feinstein knows is nothing more than a semiautomatic handgun.
From Wikipedia (FWIW):
The TEC-9 was originally designed by Swedish company Interdynamic AB of Stockholm as the MP-9, a cheap submachine gun for military applications. Interdynamic was unable to drum up any interest among governments, and the MP-9 never entered production. Unwilling to give up on the design, Interdynamic set up a U.S. subsidiary to market a semiautomatic version to civilians. The MP-9 was redesigned by George Kelgren, and became the model KG-9. Owing to its submachine gun heritage, the original TEC-9, model KG-9, featured an open bolt design which made it relatively easy to illegally convert it to a fully automatic submachine gun. Criminals soon discovered this fact and the TEC-9 became associated in the public mind with gang violence, especially drive-by shootings.
Question: If this was a KG-9, converted to a fully-automatic weapon, (A) why did they call it a Tec-9, (b) why no charges for illegal possession of a machinegun, and (c) where are the Feds?
Answer: Because it wasn't a machine gun these useless little Tupac-wannabe's were shooting at the guy's house. Now, it's possible that it was. But it's also possible the Patriots are gonna call me up to play defensive end against the Jaguars on Christmas Eve.
Sure, that gun looks all scary, and gangsta and shit. And, yeah, stories like this are likely to help Jarrett Barrios get his next round of "common sense" gun control pushed through the legislature faster than you can say "It's FOR THE CHILDREN!".
So, why let accurate journalism ruin a pefectly good opportunity to shit on (what's left of) the rights of law-abiding gun owners in this state?
Quote of the Day honors from this incident go to Yarmouth Police Sgt. John Fallon:
"This is a very serious weapon. This is a killing machine. It can lay out bullets in rapid fashion[.]"
Sorry, Sarge, but that gun, like ever other gun produced in the history of modern firearms manufacturing, can't "do" anything.
It's simply a chunk of metal and plastic - perfect for flogging a dead horse with.
Now, if some scumbag lowlife were to pick it up and make a series of conscious decisions to actually load it, aim it at someone, and pull the trigger, then that's a different story.
I realize that's not a popular version of that story around here, as it places the blame for an individual's actions on (GASP!) the individual.
What kind of sick world would that be?
UPDATE: From The Yarmouthport Register:
Troopers then arrested all five suspects and recovered a Mac-10 .45 caliber machine pistol.
And, from Channel 12 Eyewitness News in Providence (via the AP):
Police seized a 45-caliber machine gun pistol.
Perhaps the CBS4 story was the "fake, but inaccuarate" version.
Either way, feel free to put this one right where if clearly belongs, in the ever-expanding "Massachusetts Gun Control Success Stories" file.
Gun Control: Becuase a gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen represents a far greater danger to society that a kitchen knife/length of rope/SUV in the hands of a violent criminal.
UPDATE II: Seems the jury's still out on this one. From the Yarmouthport Register (also dated 12/11/06):
Yarmouth police say state police confiscated a DEC Tech-9mm machine pistol...
Stay tuned for tomorrow's Boston Globe write-up, where this weapon will be transformed into a belt-fed anti-aircraft gun.
