This space has been on record for decades as favoring stricter gun laws. But stricter gun laws have no place on the battlefield.
Fact: The US defense budget is roughly half a trillion dollars a year.
Fact: The F-35 fighter plane project will cost more than $1.3 trillion over the life of Lockheed’s multi-year contract. And that’s without the engines.
Fact: You can buy a decent “sniper rifle” for $300 to $400 and a really fancy one for ten grand or so. (Note to gun nuts: yes, you’re right, “sniper rifle” is not an “official” designation. Most of the rest of us get the gist.)
Fact: If you needed a super duper sniper rifle it might cost, say 20 grand.
Fact: There are roughly 2500 active service members in the Navy SEALs at the moment.
Possible Fact: There aren’t enough rifles to go around and guys coming off shift or off mission have to pass along their weapons to those who are going on shift or on mission.
At least that’s what one active SEAL told congress the other day.
Math problem: What’s 2500 x 20,000?
Answer to math problem: 50 million.
So if you buy 2500 rifles at 20-thousand dollars each, the bill would come to 50- million dollars.
To most of us that’s a ton of money. To the Pentagon, that’s pocket change. They waste at least that much each year old no-show consultants and top secret pay per view sites.
To a SEAL and to many others, rifles are not weapons so much as they are body parts. They are sophisticated machines, tuned to each user’s body and shooting style. A guy can spend an awful lot of time optimizing his weapon. And when one passes it along to the next user, there’s more time and technology to first restore the rifle to factory specs and then to adjust it for its new borrower.
In war, the shooter-holics are right: the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. And if the bad guy and the good guy are 600 feet apart and in some bushes, the good guy better have the best weapon he can.
Where is the NRA when you need it?
Today’s Quote: “Tammy Duckworth has a sad record standing up for our veterans.” -- Tweet from the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Duckworth (D-Ill) who is a veteran and lost both legs in Iraq. The tweet has been deleted.
Shrapnel:
--Mike Bloomberg did the right thing, putting data over desire. His decision not to run as an independent presidential candidates was based on info that showed his candidacy would likely turn into a victory for Trump. Now, Mike, what if Hillary tanks… are you willing to run as a Dem?
--Mareen Sanchez, 16, probably knew more than the rest of Milford, CT. when she turned down an invitation to the junior prom from Christopher Plaskon, 18 who responded to the rejection by stabbing her to death. Plaskon pleaded no contest. He’ll be sentenced in June and the prosecutor wants 25 years.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com
© WJR 2016
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