Jesse Jackson thinks your AR-15 can shoot down airplanes

[irishScott]

Another heroic gun control advocate, leading the charge for common sense! /sarcasm

http://nation.foxnews.com/jesse-jac...-assault-weapons-are-threat-homeland-security

These semi-automatic weapons, these assault weapons, can only kill people, and in fact, they are threats to national security… The young man who did the killing in Aurora, Colorado, with the arsenal he had– he was right near the airport, right near the runways [in] Denver. He could shoot down airplanes, so this is a matter of homeland security as well.

 

[Doppel]

What a maniac. People who don't understand the first thing about what they are trying to regulate should clearly have no say in the matter.

 

[herm0016]

my .270 would be a much better choice with a well placed shot.


and... the gun control nuts are getting nuttier. someone should shop a can of peanut butter to say "gun control nut butter"

 

[OrByte]

huh..thats wierd

 

[irishScott]

my .270 would be a much better choice with a well placed shot.


and... the gun control nuts are getting nuttier. someone should shop a can of peanut butter to say "gun control nut butter"

shhhh, don't give them any hints. They might start trying to ban .50 BMG again.

 

[Incorruptible]

Why do some of these gun control advocates insist on making up nonsense like this? Does he have any idea about the capabilities of the AR-15?

Sadly there will be people who agree with him

 

[Sluggo]

They can also blow up railroads.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...irplanes-now-they-can-also-blow-up-railroads/

 

[nehalem256]

Maybe he should join his son in the mental hospital?

 

[randomrogue]

Jesse Jackson is a retard. What does happen if you shoot a plane with that gun though?

 

[WackyDan]

Yeah... Of course that is after I buy some parts from the corner 7-11 and turn it into a full auto/select fire anti aircraft gun with teflon coated heat seeking bullets.

 

[irishScott]

Jesse Jackson is a retard. What does happen if you shoot a plane with that gun though?

Depends on the plane. I suppose you might have small odds of hitting a passenger if you use steel core bullets, but if the goal is mindless killing you're better off shooting at walking targets. As for bringing the plane down, MAYBE if you were magically able to take out both pilot and co-pilot as the plane was taking off. But that's only if you have perfect positioning, perfect aim, and perfect timing. Very perfect aim as the plane's nose would be tilted up, obscuring the cockpit.

Mechanically speaking, there's very little an AR-15 could do that could not be compensated for in-flight.

 

[EagleKeeper]

The young man who did the killing in Aurora, Colorado, with the arsenal he had– he was right near the airport, right near the runways [in] Denver. He could shoot down airplanes, so this is a matter of homeland security as well.

The nearest airport he was near waas Buckley AFB - Federal property. Civilian accee to the nearest runway is close to a mile away. Well out of effective range of the AR-15.

You will find very few weapons that have an effective range of over a mile, that will also have to take into account a still target, not one moving at 200-300 mph.

 

[feralkid]

"These semi-automatic weapons, these assault weapons, can only kill people, and in fact, they are threats to national security… The young man who did the killing in Aurora, Colorado, with the arsenal he had– he was right near the airport, right near the runways [in] Denver. He could shoot down airplanes, so this is a matter of homeland security as well."

Read the quote again.
Isn't it plausible he had other, more powerful arms in his arsenal?

RCFFTL.

 

[uclaLabrat]

Depends on the plane. I suppose you might have small odds of hitting a passenger if you use steel core bullets, but if the goal is mindless killing you're better off shooting at walking targets. As for bringing the plane down, MAYBE if you were magically able to take out both pilot and co-pilot as the plane was taking off. But that's only if you have perfect positioning, perfect aim, and perfect timing. Very perfect aim as the plane's nose would be tilted up, obscuring the cockpit.

Mechanically speaking, there's very little an AR-15 could do that could not be compensated for in-flight.

I do wonder what kind of damage a few rounds would do if directed at the compressor blades...I know they test them against bird strikes but birds are soft tissue. Pinging a few rounds off the fans might be enough to take out the engines.

 

[randomrogue]

These are really stupid things to think about lol. Nobody is going to shoot at planes with guns.

So you could potentially shoot out a window, maybe even hit someone, and then the plane lands. So if you're perfectly in line with the cockpit and can get off two shots plus a ricochet to hit the engineer and navigator you're golden.

Jesse Jackson is so smart

 

[EagleKeeper]

"These semi-automatic weapons, these assault weapons, can only kill people, and in fact, they are threats to national security… The young man who did the killing in Aurora, Colorado, with the arsenal he had– he was right near the airport, right near the runways [in] Denver. He could shoot down airplanes, so this is a matter of homeland security as well."

Read the quote again.
Isn't it plausible he had other, more powerful arms in his arsenal?

RCFFTL.

What non-military weapon has an effective range of over a mile against a moving target at up to 250 mph

 

[randomrogue]

I do wonder what kind of damage a few rounds would do if directed at the compressor blades...I know they test them against bird strikes but birds are soft tissue. Pinging a few rounds off the fans might be enough to take out the engines.

No expert but if ever get a chance to stand next to an engine you'll realize how big they are and how big the blades are. The outside blades don't get as hot and are titanium. The inside is more specialized alloys. So although you could potentially damage the engine you're most likely going to only hit one set of blades and the plane will then land. You'd have better luck hitting a gas tank if that's what you were going for.

 

[monovillage]

"These semi-automatic weapons, these assault weapons, can only kill people, and in fact, they are threats to national security… The young man who did the killing in Aurora, Colorado, with the arsenal he had– he was right near the airport, right near the runways [in] Denver. He could shoot down airplanes, so this is a matter of homeland security as well."

Read the quote again.
Isn't it plausible he had other, more powerful arms in his arsenal?

RCFFTL.

Yeah like a spud gun or a t-shirt rifle!
http://www.spudtech.com/
http://tshirtgun.com/

You idiot.

 

[Greenman]

I do wonder what kind of damage a few rounds would do if directed at the compressor blades...I know they test them against bird strikes but birds are soft tissue. Pinging a few rounds off the fans might be enough to take out the engines.

A few rounds into the cockpit at takeoff or landing would almost certainly have a detrimental effect as well.

 

[irishScott]

"These semi-automatic weapons, these assault weapons, can only kill people, and in fact, they are threats to national security… The young man who did the killing in Aurora, Colorado, with the arsenal he had– he was right near the airport, right near the runways [in] Denver. He could shoot down airplanes, so this is a matter of homeland security as well."

Read the quote again.
Isn't it plausible he had other, more powerful arms in his arsenal?

RCFFTL.

Given that we know the contents of Holmes's "arsenal" at this point, no, it's actually not.

 

[blankslate]

Well there's always the Golden BB....

However aside from dumb luck and being within about 500 (or 800) meters of an aircraft....

It's not anything most people should worry about with any handheld firearm. It's not like you can buy a stinger missile at the local gun gealer.

 

[irishScott]

A few rounds into the cockpit at takeoff or landing would almost certainly have a detrimental effect as well.

But would is crash the plane? I sincerely doubt it.

 

[drinkmorejava]

No expert but if ever get a chance to stand next to an engine you'll realize how big they are and how big the blades are. The outside blades don't get as hot and are titanium. The inside is more specialized alloys. So although you could potentially damage the engine you're most likely going to only hit one set of blades and the plane will then land. You'd have better luck hitting a gas tank if that's what you were going for.

I do work on jet engines. Unloading a magazine at the fan from a few feet away will destroy it, but one or two shots from a few hundred yards probably won't cause an immediate engine shutdown. High vibration might cause the pilots to shut it down shortly after...these things are extremely well balanced. We do do projectile testing, although we're generally talking BB sized spheres.

I'd be a lot more worried about shooting at the side of the engine. The area between the nacelle and the engine casing is completely filled with all sorts of hydraulics, instrumentation wires, oil lines. All of that stuff isn't designed to taking a beating, and I'm will to bet a few random shots would take out the engine.

Losing one engine on takeoff doesn't matter so much, but losing an engine at 50ft on landing is pretty dangerous.

 

[Abraxas]

But would is crash the plane? I sincerely doubt it.

If you were able to kill the pilot (and the copilot if applicable) on a landing you don't think that could crash the plane? I agree as a practical matter it is not a particularly useful to use an AR-15 on aircraft, and (assuming the earlier remarks about only a military airport were accurate) in this situation it was not a threat but I think those who are dismissing it as an idea in general are wrong.

 

[randomrogue]

Why is it more dangerous while landing?