P.c. Insanity In California

[Todd]

And you thought the sight of Georgia National Guardsmen patrolling airports, armed only with their 9mm pistols, was silly. It still doesn't hold a candle to what's going on in California.

In last Saturday's edition of the Los Angeles Times there's a nice big photograph of an armed California National Guardsman stationed at the airport in Orange County. You can't see the Guardsman's face, but you can see the M-16 automatic rifle he's holding at his side.

There's one problem. One very big problem. There's no ammunition magazine in the weapon! Anyone who's ever handled an M-16 or its civilian equivalent, the AR-15, can see it. It's highly unlikely that there's a round in the chamber of this gun. We can only hope this Guardsman is carrying his ammunition magazines in a pouch on his belt. But without ammunition, this gun might as well just be an expensive club.

What message does this photograph send to terrorists? Come to Orange County, where our airport is guarded by soldiers armed with fancy metal and plastic clubs! What a nice, juicy target! Kudos to the editors of the Los Angeles Times for being so stupid as to print this invitation to terrorists.

On the other hand, maybe it's a good thing the L.A. Times printed this picture. Now the issue of unarmed National Guardsmen is out there for everyone to see. This issue would have to be addressed sometime. It might as well be now, before those Guardsmen are forced to use their weapons.

A show of force at our nation's airports doesn't achieve much if you know the guards aren't armed.
http://www.keepandbeararms.com/newsarchives/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=2056

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

Of course they're armed. What's the matter with you?

Honestly, Todd, I very much get the impression that you are actually one of those fat bed-ridden people who hasn't left the house in 25 years and, like a bubble-boy gone bad, forms all his opinions relative to the experience he's gained between his four crushing walls.

You amaze me with how much you don't know.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

See, here's what a non-bubble-boy-gone-bad type person does when he sees a pic in the LA times showing a Guardsman without a clip. He thinks, "What are the security rules here? Maybe when in a public space they have to keep their clips in the bags? Maybe he was just handed that rifle and hadn't picked up his clip yet? Maybe this was a photo op, not a candid shot, and security rules prevented him from being armed? Maybe only in the more secure areas, like the tarmac, the men are required to have rifles at the ready? Maybe he left his clip at home with his lunch?"

See, those are just a few of the normal, rational solutions that present themselves to the experienced, adult mind.

The childish, scared, inexperienced person leaps immediately to "They're not arming the Guardsmen! Conspiracy! Bad government! Bad government!"

Don't worry about the message being to the terrorists by printing the photo. Osama may be a madman, but I'm pretty sure he'll look a that photo and come to the "left it at home with his lunch" scenario must sooner than he comes to the "Hey! They're not armed! Attack unheeded! Yippee!" scenario.

 

[SexyChele]

DCL: You crack me up!

Todd: Orange County airport is the nearest airport to where I live, and I hardly think Osama bin Laden would choose this airport to conduct any terrorist activity - espcially when LAX and Ontario are so close by. Besides the reasons stated by DCL above, it freaks people out already to see men and women walking around our airports with guns - all we would need is one nut case to grab that gun and start mowing people down. Could be the clip is purposely NOT in the gun to prevent just such an occurance?

All it takes is a little thought process here....

 

[OUTSIDER]

I like the Israeli method of airport security, they stopped using 9mm hand guns when they found the ammo didn't do enough damage and the terrorist still had time before dieing to pull a pin or pop off a few rounds, so they swapped all their 9mm auto's for 44 magnum's with soft nosed ammo that really tears shit outta anything it hit's.......Bingo !!........what ever you hit stay's hit and stay's down.

 

[BlondeBeauty]

Oh my God, OUTSIDER.

You drew eyes on that?

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. *giggle*

 

[Shy Tall Guy]

Ummm guys/gals

Before you start tearing Todd a new asshole for not being technically correct, check your own statements: a clip is not the same thing as a magazine; a clip is something that holds cartridges so they can be inserted into the magazine, which is then inserted into the firearm.

The last US issue infantry rifle where the rifleman actually inserted a "clip" into the rifle and it held the cartridges therein, was the M1 Garand. That was an enbloc clip and it was a rather special case.

DCL, being from Hollyweird where they don't know the difference between a pistol and a revolver is excused, but now knows better - just the same, he shouldn't be chiding others about what they do or do not know.

SexyChele: If I was a madman and planning on mowing down someone with a guardman's rifle, and I knew they did not have the magazine inserted. M16 mags are easy to find and acquire, a dime a dozen, very easy to quickly insert, and the ammo just as easy to come by. Personally, if I was wanting to do the most damage, I would have my own ammo rather than the less effective military FMJ ammo. However, I would give consideration to the fact that the guardsman is probably also carrying a sidearm and that he/she probably isn't alone.

Todd, the rest are basically right in that the guardsmen are not unarmed and it would be easy for them to slam home a magazine in short order.

Everybody, this sounds like a non-issue from all sides - drop it.