[quote=Ribbles]
Body armor would help more than bigger guns. AR-15s make a unique sound, so they knew what they were up against, which is terrifying.[/quote]
The ARs that they were using were firing .223 cal (chambered for 5.56 NATO – imperial vs metric). They were not chambered to the normal 7.62 that Kalashnikovs fire. While it has a greater impact than some 9mms, but not all. Because of the small bullet – it does not always impart all of the energy on its target as quickly. The sound you hear from the AR is the cycling of the bolt, which produces a ringing sound.
[quote=Ribbles]A 9mm round hitting a non-vital area won’t kill you. An AR-15 round can have an exit wound several inches across – so the kid doesn’t need to hit a vital area to damage it.[/quote] Wrong – the exit wound from an AR is not that big (several inches). The AR fires a harder round than a handgun. It does not expand as much – often not a hollow point. I can, however, tumble a bit. But remember – the round is 5.56 mm vs 9mm and considerably lighter. The high velocity nature is for accuracy at distance – not solely kill power. The requirement for the weapon is accuracy to 600yards. That is much farther than any reasonable attempt with a handgun.
[quote=Ribbles]They are also bizarrely light and have almost no recoil, which makes them easy to wield by my 7-year-old daughter, let alone an angry teenager.
Not making excuses for them. Multiple officers should have had the collective balls to go in there.[/quote]
Recoil maps to energy out of the barrel and downrange energy fairly accurately. The AR chambered to 7.62 has more of a kick. How about a .357 revolver or Desert Eagle? Ever fire a Barrett (Non California Legal version)?
There is a reason the IDF uses 9mm small arms in close quarters ie. Uzi, MP5. The barrel length tends to be a liability. In close quarter defense, I would rather have something other than a AR, more like a 9mm or more pref SIG P229 chambered to .357. (Full auto not allowed for civilians)
NOTE: The high number of deaths in this incident was due to the time the person had with a semi-auto weapon. Some people were shot multiple times at a fairly close range. Also note 14 were wounded (17 killed).
Final note: Most police departments have a requirement to use the vest – though not all officers do. With 6 min, 4 min of waiting, they had time to put one on. I am also disgusted (putting it mildly) at how many ‘officials’ dropped the ball. Amazing how many students ‘were not surprised’ at who it was. Also note that the suspect must of just walked out by one of the officers ‘waiting’ at the entrance before police/SWAT got on the scene (he was not found in the school).
PS: In my other work, I was a Defense Contractor doing military training.
NOTE: Quote about one of the victims:
On Monday, Ms. Wilford, 17, walked into a conference center at Broward Health North hospital flanked by her parents, a cast on her arm the only outward sign of the injuries that could have killed her. Doctors said the bullet wounds to her torso and abdomen had essentially healed, and that she could be physically ready to return to school as early as next week.
– she was shot 3 times. Another was shot 5 times and survived (both legs and through his back – no aputation). I also heard it was over 30 minutes from start till rescue was allowed in.
