Sheriff Lott's New Toy

The Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Department (that's them above) just obtained an armored personnel carrier, complete with a belt-fed, .50-cal turreted machine gun.  Sheriff Leon Lott has charmingly named the vehicle "The Peacemaker," and insists that using a caliber of ammunition that even the U.S. military is reluctant to use against human targets (it's generally reserved for use against armored vehicles) will "save lives."

Can we call this overkill, yet?  Is there any weapon people like Sheriff Lott would consider inappropriate for use against American citizens?

Like most of these military toys obtained by local police departments, the Peacemaker will inevitably be used on drug and gambling raids—that is, to enforce laws against consensual activities.  Or, as we're now seeing in Minnesota, perhaps on raids against leftist political activists. 

Can't be too careful, you know.

Comments

[Franklin Harris]

Uh oh. My county's sheriff is going to be jealous and insist on upgrading his APC.

[texas_libertarian]

Say hello to martial law. God bless America!

[MAX HATS]

As anyone who's ever manned a .50 cal can tell you, there's only one little butterfly trigger that makes it go boom. Without proper discipline, it's quite possible to have loose gear or a lazy hand set it off. I wouldn't say negligent discharges were common on the fifty cal, but they certainly happened here and there, maybe averaging every other unit once per tour.

So I'm thrilled to see such a ridiculously powerful weapon in the hands of police who don't necessarily have any military training whatsoever.

Hell, even most members of the military don't know how to work a .50 cal.

It can also be a little tricky to unload if you don't know what you're doing.

Oh, and aiming it? You generally can't sight down the weapon from a turret, so the SOP in country is to estimate, then walk it in. I'm thrilled to see American law enforcement presumably expect to rely on the same methods. And the bullets go through cars, by the way.

One of the units in my battalion thought they were getting suicide bombed by a bus. A gunner opened fire with a .50 cal, firing three rounds. Two people on the bus died, and six were wounded.

So, perfectly reasonable for a law enforcement weapon. Perfectly reasonable.

Good lord.

[JohnD]

I guess they won't be out gunned by the criminals anymore.

[obi juan]

I hear people complain about the "militarization" of the police, but frankly I just don't see it.

[Elemenope]

Someone needs to call Hans Gruber.

For APC control, you understand.

[Episiarch]

"Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho."

[Elemenope]

Or, as we're now seeing in Minnesota, perhaps on raids against leftist political activists.

Fucking finally, BTW. I mentioned this one two days ago, and Glenn Greenwald had it four days ago over at Salon. I would have thought a Libertarian website would have been all over this shit like white on rice.

[Elemenope]

"Who?"

"I read about them in Time Magazine."

[Bingo]

I for one feel safer knowing that criminals won't stand a chance! This is a perfectly reasonable acquisition, are you saying that child molesters and rapists should go free?

[Rebekah]

are YOU on DUMMY PILLS or something? THEY ARE NOT GOING TO USE this on rapists, molesters, or criminals !!!! THEY ARE GOING TO USE THIS ON YOU & ME! THE U.S. GOVERNMT HAS LOST THEIR MINDS & is on a PSYCHO POWER TRIP TO ENSLAVE AMERICA & THE WORLD! HAVENT YOU HEARD?????THEY dont use machinery like this on CRIMINALS? OH AND THEY are PLANTING MURDERERS, RAPISTS, ETC across the Globe to INFLICT PAIN ON THE COMMON MAN! POPULATION CONTROL! GET A GRIP!

[JohnD]

What a freaking moron.

Sober up asshole.

[Dave]

I'm saying we should arrest child molesters and rapists, have them tried in a court of law and then punished for their crime. Or we could have this scenario:

Cop: Hey, that guy fits the description of the rapist we're looking for.
(.50-cal machine gun turns the guy into shredded meat)
Cop: Oh shit, that was the wrong guy. Wait, maybe it's that guy over there.....

[Jon H]

I don't see any men in that photo.

[rob]

ROFLMAO...that about nails it...never underestimate the danger of boys overcompensating.

[Naga Sadow]

"The Peacemaker"? More like "The Jackboot"!

[Gregory Evans]

I can't wait to see them rolling down 7th ave in St. Paul like they used to in Red Square!

[sage]

This thing will probably end up being used like that tank on the movie Dragnet, where Tom Hanks and Dan Akroyd plow through the front door of a milk company rather than the criminals they were after.

Wait, wait. Raid the wrong place? How silly of me. That doesn't happen in real life.

[CharlesWT]

"Is there any weapon people like Sheriff Lott would consider inappropriate for use against American citizens?"

Well...we do have some tactical nuclear weapons lying about...

[sage]

Just think of how many family pets you can shoot with a fifty full auto. Even the biggest balls of fur will get ripped apart like a cutting torch through butter.

[Naga Sadow]

Tac nukes might be a bit much . . . for now. What about satelite surveillance followed by GPS guided missiles?

[Naga Sadow]

50 cal's might have a dual use . . . hunting. No more following the deer's thrashing trail when you blow it's head clean off. Might damage the antlers a bit though.

[Other Matt]

Can't even imagine the legal party the first time the 50 cal goes off. Wow. Bankrupt the county pretty quickly.

[James Anderson Merritt]

Any weapon that comes into general militia use (and by that I include police forces, e.g., "military-lite") is fair game for citizens to keep and bear under the 2nd Amendment.

I wish they were still making the Andy Griffith show. Wouldn't you just love to see Barney Fife roll into Mayberry with a vehicle like this that he got at a federal auction, where he was just supposed to pick up a new police car? Hilarity would definitely ensue.

[rob]

Barney had Sheriff Taylor to hold him back. Only gave him one bullet and made him carry it in his pocket...now the Barneys are running the departments...

[joe]

Are they nuts?

What the hell are they going to do with a .50 caliber machine gun?

[TWC-Shilling for NoStar (still]

I believe that a 50 cal is illegal for police work in Californicate. I know for sure that our POleece helicopters are unarmed.

[some guy]

How useful is a tracked vehicle when there are roads and stuff you can drive on to get to the wrong house and gun down some grandma?

I think the goons had some Homeland Security money sitting around and figured they had to spend it on something. There's only so many strippers and trips to Vegas you can make.

[TWC-Shilling for NoStar (still]

Well...we do have some tactical nuclear weapons lying about...

I WANT THE ATOMIC BAZOOKA!

How cool is that thing?

[TWC-Shilling for NoStar (still]

In the days of my vagrant yoot some of us thought things were going to hell on a sled with greased runners. But there was never anything like this. Never. Cops had riot shotguns and a .38 Special or a .45.

[pmp]

Former resident of Richland County here. What can I say? The police aren't particularly overly aggressive there. All of South Carolina seems "under-policed" compared to Virginia.

There's no excuse for arming civilian officers with this sort of thing. It's complete bullshit because it "tempts fate." What was Mrs. Thatcher's quote? "What's the point of having this wonderful army if we're not going to use it?" Good call, Maggie.

South Carolina has the highest violent crime rate of anywhere in the country. What does it need to fix that? Better schools, a more vibrant economy, and, yes, more police officers.

Tanks do nada--zip, zero, zilch--to reduce crime.

This absurd bullshit has been brought to you by 30 years of hysterical, lobotomized anti-crime policies..

[Nash]

I figured it was coming, but man, it's kinda hard to describe my gut reaction to this.

The essential question in my mind is... Do any of these fucking clowns have any idea of how far a .50 cal round will go and what types of objects it will go through?

As for the mention above by TWC of the .50 being illegal in California. IIRC, the LAPD actually sent the Barretts they had back to Barrett for work. Barrett ended up not sending them back because of how the law was worded. The LAPD had to circumvent California law to get their weapons back by having individuals pick them up or by going through a third party.

[anon]

"Dayer using ahtillery ahn us!!!"

[John]

If you have never fired one or seen one fired, I cannot explain to you what a fucking awesome a .50 caliber machine gun is. Further, they do use them on "soft targets" in the military. I have seen the effects of a round on a person and it basically blows you in half. Further, the rounds go through pretty much anything short of concrete blocks or steel.

In a civilian environment, they are a complete menace. The rounds are going to ricochet and go through walls and people and cars and everything else. Police have no business having them. What possible service could they perform besides being toys? Just unbelievable.

[JohnD]

Actually, 50 cal Armor piercing rounds can chew up a concrete block wall in no time. It will also pierce thin (1/4") steel.
We (USMC Artillery) used them for perimeter defence in Nam.

[Warty]

Not to defend the pigs here, but I know that if I had the chance to get an M2, I would certainly go for it, just to have such an awesome toy. Can you imagine how much fun that would be?

gun: BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM
me: hurr hurr hurr hurr hurr hurr
gun: BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM

The real problem here is the federal subsidies giving these toys to Barney Fife.

[joe]

Barney Fife wouldn't take it. "Wha-what am I supposed to do wit that?"

The REAL problem is that we fired Barney Fife and replaced him with Darryl Gates.

[Huey]

"rounds go through pretty much anything short of concrete blocks or steel"

Uh, no. I've fired one, and the rounds go through concrete blocks or steel.

[VM]

"I cannot explain to you what a fucking awesome a .50 caliber machine gun is"

damn! very cool! 🙂

Danny Vermin, eat your heart out!

[Stew]

This is ridiculous. Where are they going to shoot this .50 cal and not have to worry about the bullet carrying through to kill innocents?

Hopefully that country is completely rural.

[John]

Hey now. If they use this thing in a drug raid and it goes through a perp and kills an innocent three year old in the next room, that is just collateral damage. If the kid's dad hadn't been selling drugs according to our jailhouse snitch, the kid wouldn't have been killed. And hey, what is the life of a three year old versus the safety of the officers involved?

[Episiarch]

"Not big enough. We need something that can take out an entire army. Something you could commit a war crime with--(GASP)"

Seriously, there is absolutely no possible use for a Ma Deuce outside of war. This is beyond ridiculous. Do you realize just how fucking huge the rounds in a .50-cal are?

[John]

"Something you could commit a war crime with--(GASP)"

Indescriminately mowing down civilians with a 50 cal isn't a war crime?

[Dave]

Nah, it's a "police action."

[Episiarch]

It's a quote from Futurama, John. I'm revoking your Adult Swim Reference Card.

[El Cid]

I hope there are no innocent bystanders within hundreds of yards of whoever gets shot (whether hit or missed) by a 50-cal round, because it's not going to be stopped by just one body.

[Happy Jack]

the LAPD actually sent the Barretts they had

Has the PIT maneuver lost its luster in ending a chase, or were the RPGs in the shop?

Do you realize just how fucking huge the rounds in a .50-cal are?

We use to make lighters out of the empty casings.

[Worthy Evans]

I live in Sheriff Lott's county, Richland. I'm very familiar with the M-113A2; I used to drive it. It's a fun vehicle.

That said, IT IS A FRIGGIN WASTE OF MONEY in Richland County. We're a good county, for the most part. We've got criminals just like everywhere else, but geez God, we don't have insurgents.

By the way, these things go through engines like cars go through gasoline. A total waste of money.

[Naga Sadow]

Jack Travis: You know what a future a cop has, Murph? None. You punch a clock for 30 years, retirement, pension... nothin' to do. Drunk at noon, bullet in the brain by evening. Well, not for this kid! The police department's got it all: guns, ammo, drugs, cash... it's a one-stop shopping center. If you've got the balls and the brains, there's not a fucking thing anyone can do about it!

[Ken Hagler]

Maybe some of those smugglers who import tons of cocaine every year would consider branching out and importing RPGs?

[Episiarch]

Naga, quoting Lethal Weapon 1 or 2 is acceptable, but anything afterward is not. I am relieved, for your sake, it was at least 3 and not 4.

[Naga Sadow]

Epi,

I will decide what is relevant and acceptable for me to post when it comes to Lethal Weapon and Mad Max films. Though your point is valid as 3 was awful and 4 made Yahweh cry.

[CSI]

Someone needs to call Hans Gruber.

Die Hard reference. I like 🙂

But seriously, surely theres no way police are allowed to use 0.5" machinegun. Especially considering how trigger-happy and poorly trained many of these SWAT chumps are.

[Naga Sadow]

CSI,

You must not be Scalia's mailing list concerning the "new professionalism" of police departments.

[Elemenope]

Yeah, Epi, because the movie that introduced Jet Li to western audiences gets no credit. None at all.

You know, for all your supposed taste, you have some odd hang-ups.

[Naga Sadow]

Elemenope,

I forgot he was in 4. I first remember Jet Li from the genre movie "Black Mask". The movie was great due to its plot to action ratio. 85% action, 15% plot.

[Episiarch]

Yeah, Epi, because the movie that introduced Jet Li to western audiences gets no credit. None at all.

Whoa, why so serious?

Introducing a foreign actor to American audiences does not somehow make a movie magically good. Besides, The One had a much greater effect on his career.

[Y\'all]

Richland County is Columbia, the state capital. They need this sort of firepower to protect the Confederate flag flying over the capitol.

[TrickyVic]

The raids in MN show what the republican's really think about our rights. It's worth a thread on its own.

[SIV]

What was Mrs. Thatcher's quote? "What's the point of having this wonderful army if we're not going to use it?" Good call, Maggie.

That was Madeline Albright who said that. Madeline Albright of the Clinton and potential Obama Administrations.Don't worry, Madeline will order daisies in the .50 barrels when we roll into Darfur.

[Mike Caprio]

I'm sure the zombie apocalypse will start in South Carolina, and a tracked vehicle with a .50 cal will come in very handy for running over corpses and mowing them down.

[Mosby]

This is more about scaring yankees than criminals. Round 2, bitches!

[Richard Grabman]

50 cals? Oh shit! They're the wet dream of every narco here in Sinaloa. You can make fajitas out of a pickup truck at a half kilometer with those suckers. Too bad they wipe out everyone in the neighborhood, but what the hell... South Carolina's the Bible Belt... "kill 'em all and let the Lord sort them out."

No wonder I moved out of the U.S. You've completely mad up there.

[Elemenope]

Whoa, why so serious?

Sorry. Really bad day.

Introducing a foreign actor to American audiences does not somehow make a movie magically good. Besides, The One had a much greater effect on his career.

No, it doesn't, but I found LW4 to be *entertaining* on it's own merits. Great film, it was not...but funny, good action, and some seriously good one-liners it possessed in sufficient amounts.

The One was fun as well. However, if you're looking for his American career changer, you'd probably have to go with the thoroughly execrable Romeo Must Die.

[Mo]

What's amazing is that police don't need better weapons. Crime is at decades long lows. How do you sell, "Crime is going down, we need a 50cal."

[Steve in Syracuse]

%0 cals, APC's, for cops?

From night sticking the coloreds to killing the family cow 2 miles away.

Gotta' hand it to rednecks, who says "Knowledge is Power" when you can destroy the whole school house in one drive-by!

[Junter Klops]

According to my scarcely informed opinion, it is far more likely that a disgruntled, recently fired cop would use this to go postal than for it to be used for legitimate purposes. And that's even true when "legitimate" is taken to mean what the cops think it means, as opposed to us crazies.

Although I would say the chance of either of those happening is almost nonexistent.

[Elemenope]

Although I would say the chance of either of those happening is almost nonexistent.

Yeah, I doubt the thing would ever see action. To me, there are really two things at play:

1. What a fucking waste of money
2. Cops should not get to go play Soldier like ten year olds

This was probably the result of some incarnation of a Scott Adams "your pipes are too small" memo. Only instead of fiber optic, it's a goddamed hand cannon on wheels.

[edna]

more guns, less crime.

lott. get it? har, har.

[ben j]

watch this video, and tell me that the cops will be able to account for each and every round...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e4eJ6bgDRc

[BakedPenguin]

Of course, when some idiot cop shoots some innocent bystanders, the murder one charge will be dropped on the shmuck selling dime bags they were going after.

This has to be a violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the Posse Comitatus Act.

[JGR]

LOOK AT THOSE IDIOTS!

Posing like Special Forces and pointing their weapons at the camera!

Wouldn't it be funny to have one accidentally let loose a burst at the photographer? Considering the number of cops (and chiefs) who have shot THEMSELVES with "empty" guns, I wouldn't let these F Troopers point a water pistol at me.

And just what the heck are they planning to do with that .50cal machinegun? The thing flangs 600 one-ounce slugs per minute, over A MILE AND A HALF. It will shoot through just about any building in the county (or any dozen homes, and the people inside them).

Just what we need.

[LarryA]

Hey now. If they use this thing in a drug raid and it goes through a perp and kills an innocent three year old in the next room, that is just collateral damage. If the kid's dad hadn't been selling drugs according to our jailhouse snitch, the kid wouldn't have been killed. And hey, what is the life of a three year old versus the safety of the officers involved?

What if the three-year-old is two or three houses down the street.

I hope there are no innocent bystanders within hundreds thousands of yards of whoever gets shot

A .50 on semi-auto is accurate sniping out to 1500 meters. The maximum range is four and a half miles.

[Muttley]

I guess the most probable outcome with these tools is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Px0wErIeJI

[John]

"What if the three-year-old is two or three houses down the street."

Again, what is the life of a three year old or any civilian when compared to the safety of the officers? You job as a bystander is to die so police can do their jobs with absolutely no risk to themselves.

[Sean Healy]

I don't know, maybe the cops think they need to maintain a monopoly of violence in the heavily armed - though I'm sure very polite! - society they police. Thanks, Second Amendment! You guys didn't really think the state would allow itself to be outgunned on the streets, did you? How does widespread personal firearm ownership look to you now? I know there are several factors involved in the militarisation of the police, but surely it's worth considering that .50 cals mounted on APCs could be an epiphenomenon of the right to bear arms.

[ben tej]

it looks like the sheriff is playing pocket pool in the photo

[SugarFree]

ben tej,

How can you keep your hands to yourself with a gorgeous thick black murdercock like that so near you? Gun oil and cordite smells just like fine imported pussy when mixed in with the screams of children and scent of dog blood. Christ, man... it's bullet-scrotum is close enough for him to tongue it saggy!

[loupeznik]

there is a little part of me that says, "my squad can take 'em!"

[Cracker\'s Boy]

If you want to wear a helmet and carry a machinegun, why don't you man up go to fucking Afghanistan? Pigs.

CB

[Nigel Watt]

I don't know, maybe the cops think they need to maintain a monopoly of violence in the heavily armed - though I'm sure very polite! - society they police. Thanks, Second Amendment! You guys didn't really think the state would allow itself to be outgunned on the streets, did you? How does widespread personal firearm ownership look to you now? I know there are several factors involved in the militarisation of the police, but surely it's worth considering that .50 cals mounted on APCs could be an epiphenomenon of the right to bear arms.

No. That's retarded. Civilians can't own anything comparable to that thing.

Unfortunately.

[Other Matt]

I live in Sheriff Lott's county, Richland. I'm very familiar with the M-113A2; I used to drive it. It's a fun vehicle.

I don't have a problem with the vehicle. I think it's a ridiculous waste of money, but if they want an APC to transport people I don't particularly care.

What I have a problem with is the weaponry. It's not that it's a 50 cal. That particular round does have a place in the world, typically for long range accurate fire. However, the accuracy is due to the weight of the firearm rather than a function of the round, all the round does is have enough legs to get there. I find it quite an eyebrow raiser to look at it in law enforcement, but I can see a legitimate, though quite limited, role for it, basically punching through steel plate to get at guys like the one that had the armored dozer a few years ago.

What I have a REAL problem with is fully automatic fire, or even select fire, on behalf of law enforcement. You simply cannot keep a full auto on target (the rationale for burst). It's absolutely critical that law enforcement maintain fire discipline. The two are incompatible, philosophically and physically (at least for a 50, a 9mm HK or a good muzzle brake might make a 223 physically compatible).

It would be quite different if this was a rural Texas county straight out of "No Country for Old Men" and subject to armed banditos on hardened jeeps, this is not, apparantly.

Erego, lawyers are going to have a field day with this thing.

Civilians can't own anything comparable to that thing.

I don't know, it would be a Cl 3 license, but I'm sure if you had enough cash someplace, somewhere, you could get one.

[TrickyVic]

War = Peace

[J]

wtf.

[Lamar]

If you aren't breaking the law, then you have nothing to fear, unless of course you are an innocent victim of police tactics gone horrobly awry, in which case the chief of police will smear your character and convict you in the media such that it doesn't matter if you were breaking the law, you probably deserved it anyway.

Just think of how many black Labradors (endangering the lives of police officers) a .50 cal could take out!

[mediageek]

I don't know, it would be a Cl 3 license, but I'm sure if you had enough cash someplace, somewhere, you could get one.

First off, it's not a license. To own an NFA weapon, you are paying a tax, they give you a stamp, and that is considered to be proof of that you legally possess the weapon.

There are quite a number of M2's in private collections.

However, they're exceedingly expensive. As in $30K plus for one. If you're going to purchase one, there are a large number of hoops you must jump through.

The above argument that such militarization of the police is some sort of rational state-based response to widespread private ownership of firearms is far more indicative of the mentality of the person who would actually believe such a thing than it is of anything approaching the realities of citizens opting to exercise a basic fundamental right.

[Sheriff Lott]

What was that you said about my manhood being too small, BITCH?

[Julien]

That is absolutly insane...is that even legal???
http://mylifeiscrap.com

[TrickyVic]

A fun web site
Students for the Orwellian society.
http://www.studentsfororwell.org/

I'd like to see them adding current relative news articles.

[Tbone]

Out with the old: "To Protect and Serve"

In with the new: "Bring on the spall, baby!"

Reels the mind

[monty]

You can ask Sheriff Lott if he is using this big gun to compensate for his shortcomings here: [e-mail]

[Steven]

Sheriff Lott is savin' Richland County from them invadin' United Nations troops in the black helicopters, see. Sheriff's got a vision. Even if that means bankrupting his constituents to acquire some impressive artillery.

[joe]

Man i wasted all this time and effort in becoming a soldier in the US Army, when all i needed to do was join the sheriff department to play with a M2 and drive a tank.

[nilton]

Very good 😀

[Sheriff Lott]

"Can we call this overkill, yet? Is there any weapon people like Sheriff Lott would consider inappropriate for use against American citizens?"

Don't worry, it's only for them illegals!

[irspariah]

Only a deskbound douchebag could be inspired by a toy fetish like this. It's so "Kill a commie for Christ".

[irspariah]

No black helicopters?

[spacecowboy]

I personally a hope a dope dealer gets his hands on an RPG-7 and sends this to the junkyard.

[Jeff Capes]

5623 Two Notch Road
Columbia, South Carolina 29223
[phone] phone [phone] fax
[e-mail]

[tahelwidit]

I, too, moved out of the USA. The entire country, barring a few deeply depressed normal people, has gone nuts.
Just keep the racket downstairs down to a dull roar, okay?

[Spunkdrinker]

Those tools remind me of the deputies in the first Rambo movie..

[chris]

Hey, I bet the NRA is going find this an essential part of the average American's inventory. As Rome descended and fell, so does stupid America today.

[Bum]

Part of the mission of the police is to use weapons with as minimal a risk of collateral damage as possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc

This brilliant man fires a .50 bmg round at a steel plate and it does a near-180 and he cheats instant death by mere inches.

In a more developed environment that one stray round could have killed several people... and this damned tank fires those rounds full-auto.

It's very sad when innocent citizens have good reason to be mortally afraid of the police.

[loupeznik]

So what do we do about it?

[ikonnoklast]

Richland County is home to the capital, ladies and gentlemen... Columbia, SC. good god. a TANK. THAT's what I want rolling down the same streets with my children...

[Robyn]

My local law enforcement's stupidity never ceases to amaze me.

[nikolai]

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (Maricopa County, AZ) is crying in his Wheaties right now... He only has an armored Humvee with a .50 cal!!

[nikolai]

P.S. How the hell do they afford/justify the expense???

[Uzziel]

In Soviet Amerika, pigs force peace upon YOU!

On a lighter note, anyone know where to procure an RPG-7 or a Javelin for that matter?

-Uzziel-

[straightarrow]

At least now we know where we can get one if we need it. Take it from the people who have it.

[Kevin England]

I have found some practical uses for my 50-calibre machine gun in the game "Far Cry."

Seriously, though--after the North Hollywood shootout, in which virtually an entire police force couldn't handle ONE heavily-armed and armored man, I thought "that's what these hardened criminals need!" I suspect the sheriff expects to use it as a bluff, and to protect his officers, but, with the record of police abuse, and abuse of power, in general--I think he'd better be d*mned careful who he allows to operate that thing--like with thrice-a-week psychological tests, and monitoring of their Facebook and Myspace pages, which are sure to crop up with photos of their "pet."

Overkill. Back to the plastic, non-lethal bullets, and invest in body armor instead.

[bigdubbatoo]

I see the drug Nazies got 'em a new toy !
God Bless America indeed !

[Burrito]

Maybe noone explained the Sheriff he can not stop a hurricane or a storm with a 50'cal...
Bloody rednecks! Showing off is all that matters.

[breeze55]

"This has to be a violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the Posse Comitatus Act."

In case you didn't know, good 'ol Dubya has already signed that law away...

[Huck]

Hell, most cops cant even operate PISTOLS safely or effectively and these guys have a M2 .50 cal MG?

If Richland County, South Carolina has that serious of a crime problem why didnt they use the money wasted on that M113 and the M2 for hiring more deputies?

[compabutch]

Sheriff Lott could use this thing to patrol the Walmart parking lot. Put a stop to all that littering once and for all.

[Steven Dunlap]

I recall reading about the "Bloody Sunday" riot in Belfast. A British Army armored car with a similar 50 or 60 caliber machine gun killed a small child in his home. The round traveled through an exterior and several interior walls before hitting him in his bedroom.

As for the North Hollywood robbery, I have always wondered why anyone thinks that the fact that the cops had to go into a gun shop to obtain the weaponry to take on the robbers would make a good argument in favor of giving police this kind of hardware. What's the problem? There's gun shops all over nearly everywhere. Problem solved. If in the very unlikely event that something like that happens again, just go to a gun shop and borrow some automatic rifle-- again. Don't worry, they'll be there. The gun shops and the automatic rifles.

[Diana]

Wow, I live in the next adjoining county, I feel so much safer now!! And just one question for Sheriff Lott, how many homeless people are sleeping on the benches at Findley Park or have to Panhandle in 5 Points just for food?? I wonder if that money to buy that would have helped any of those people..thanks so much for making me feel so much safer!!!

[Justin]

It's still better than the ED-209.

[DODA]

What a bunch of coward jack booted NAZI thugs. A couple of glass bottles and some gasoline will have this machine out of action real quick. There is absolutley no reason for this hick sheriff and his band of merry men to have or need this kind of power in a once free America. Wake up people the real threat is our Government and the police.

[peaceweatherman]

ALLL RITEE THEN : Thanks guys now we are set for our own tienamen square . Always use the biggest hammer when swatting a gnat . Just good police footwork may man . This is why law enforcment is crying out for more money . Nice little toys like these that should "NEVER BE TAKEN OUT OF THE GARAGE" . Please look up "more americans incarcerated than ever before" news story . natzi pigs . and you thought you were living in a free state . HAH .

[DasExperten]

All of you whiny "OMFG police state" liberals need to give it a rest. Yeah it may not look nice but old M113s are lying around everywhere and are probably cheaper than a modern armored car. While the M2 .50 caliber MG is overkill for police work in most cases it will certainly scare the **** out of any criminal dumb enough to get these guys after him.

Also quit calling police officers "Nazi pigs" you bunch of moonbat liberals. Hundreds of officers have died in the line of duty serving this country, and you have the nerve to call them Nazis from your computer chair? Do you dumbass really think cops wake up in the morning and think "I want to beat somebody's ass"?

No 99% of them want to go to work, get paid, and head home to their families like everybody else. Somebody has to uphold society's laws and keep this country, or any modern country from falling apart.

[Tom]

Obviously the taxpayers in this county need to rein in this insanity. Make sure this sheriff does NOT get re-elected. Elect county officials that refuse to fund amd allow equipment like this.

It's time for citizens to just say NO!

[Misfit4Peace]

God Bless The USSA....Hello..Welcome to Amerika
Where Freedoms Are Dead...And Marshall Law Rules

These bastards make me sick...I think its past time to really revolt..I think we need to live up to the old saying:
THE SOUTH SHALL RISE AGAIN...

[Liberty or Death]

re- DasExperten

if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, calling it a duck does not make one a "moonbat liberal". I happen to be a conservative republican (not a neo-con pseudo-republican, a real republican who actually believes in limited government, low taxes and individual liberties) and am disgusted by the nazification of America. These goons you defend took an oath to uphold and defend your constitutional rights, yet they go to work every day and spend most of their time violating those rights (by enforcing unconstitutional laws) and doing the opposite of what they swore an oath to do. The fact is that in America today the police no longer protect and serve their communities and keep the peace, they follow orders, they 'enforce the laws' (regardless of whether those laws are constitutional or not), they generate revenue for the state and keep the multi-billion dollar a year prison-industrial complex in business (it's all about the money of course), and you (as most Americans) still consider them heroes? the good guys? these are the very same type of 'good guys' who carted millions of their fellow citizens off to concentration camps in Nazi Germany, but oh they're still heroes because they were only following orders right? Now in Nazi Amerika, they act as the arm of government that strips you of your rights and are prepared to use whatever force necessary to do it (a .50 caliber machine gun? talk about overkill) but obviously you and those like you don't care about your rights, you haven't the slightest idea of what they are and not only don't defend them, you fund their destruction and cheer for those 'heroes' who do the dirty work. The fact that morons like you are still by far the majority disgusts me to the point where I'm embarrased to be an American, truly a nation of apathetic sheep. The most tragic thing in all this is how many fought and died (or sacrificed and arm or a leg) to give you rights you don't appreciate and are unwilling to preserve, you are undeserving of the sacrifice they made...

[Vincent]

What if it's not for use against the citizens but rather for state sovereignty from an oppressive Orwellian Federal bureaucracy.

[Rev. Joel+]

If you don't live in Richland County or SC at least you really don't know what you're talking about specifically. There are areas in Richland County I wouldn't enter without tracks and a HBMG. The gangs are growing; the usual Bloods and Crips genre and now the wunderkind of the MS-13 and their ilk. Nice to have the tools to deal with these ammoral bottom feeders without endangering others.

Pax Christi
Rev. Joel+

ps...Probably the only time MaDeuce will sing will be on the Qual Range. The sight of her is usually enough to make the most hardcore banger fill his Depends.

[Lane Thair]

I believe Mr. Henrys question of 233 years past remains pertinate for patriots of our time...
"I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it?"
As I've heard elsewhere America...WAKE-UP or WACO!

[Wendy Weinbaum]

I agree, the "police" should have NO ARMS that are denied to the PEOPLE. As a Jewess in the US, may I remind everyone that America wasn't won with a registerd gun? And that criminals are stopped by FIREARMS, not by talk? That is why all REAL Americans put our 2nd Amendment FIRST!!

[Mary Ellen Croteau]

This was paid for with "Homeland Security" funds. These massive amounts of federal tax dollars are being given to police departments all over the country to buy war materials for "defense", including "riot" gear and robo-cop armor.

[Swede]

I think we that stuff i Sweden in a near future.

[Swede]

*need

[koalabeer]

DasExperten:
i am glad to see this administrations "webwatch"
neocons are posting in this comments section too . yes people paid to support the dissemination of the misinformation side of the government . must keep up the "opposite side law and order and all that rot"
did you see the news story where a mom was arrested for child neglect . because she got out of the car and walked 20 feet to put money in a salvation army bucket ?

The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders . it is easy . all you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger .
herman goehring . nazi party nuremberg trials

[fsilber]

My support for police is limited to the extent that they see themselves as servants of the people, and not as servants of rulers above us.

Though I am generally sympathetic to police, under no circumstances should they use or be allowed to use any weapon that is unavailable to the legal general public.

[matt]

I am not a liberal leftist and I am in 100 percent support of the protests at the DNC and RNC to end the war and stop their oligarchy rule over these United States. I am a states rights advocate,an old school Robert E. Lee lovin man from the south who never forgets state rights and what the feds have done to our nation.The army of the North is similar to the riot cops who carry out aggressive acts without thought about the U.S. Constitution.

[Dander]

Belt fed turret mounted 50 cal eh?
The real name should be "Piece Maker"

[pearl]

Enough, already, don't the taxpayers have any control over this? There can be no legitimate use for this weapon of war. I say the people in that county need to unite and oust this petty tyrant!

[William]

This sheriff needs psychiatric help. He should also be removed from office for being a danger to the community. And whoever LET him get that weapon should be relived of duty also.

[PavePusher]

"using a caliber of ammunition that even the U.S. military is reluctant to use against human targets (it's generally reserved for use against armored vehicles)"

Uuh, since when?? .50cal is an excellent long distance anti-personnel round. You friggen tools...

[Warren Raftshol]

Liberty activists need to become law enforcement.
Check out my write-in campaign for sheriff at

http://wraft.blogspot.com

and comment on the videos. Thanks!

[bugs bunny]

You're all high or something.

Anything larger than a 22 will go into or through a car.

Lets arm th po po with bb guns and Boy Scout knives.

When you see an APC being used for traffic stops, fine, start yapping about jack boots. Until then you sound like a bunch of idiots.

[Noble_Serf]

I doubt it will be a danger to anyone since they probably don't know how to set the headspace and timing.

Anyway, this is what you get when you demand the government "provide" for you. In this case, it's probably "crime and terrorism". All tactics and no strategy. In other cases, it's "the weather".

Keep it up. You'll get more of the same.

[Billy Beck]

"Anything larger than a 22 will go into or through a car."

I once watched an episode on The Military Channel in which an infantryman described the efficacy of 'Ma Deuce'. "Hollywood has done this weapon a terrible injustice," he said. "To give you some idea, go stand in the middle of an average downtown city block anywhere in America and look around. You will not see a structure anywhere that can protect you from it."

"Probably the only time MaDeuce will sing will be on the Qual Range."

See

[Konoharu]

.50 BMG is completely legal to use against infantry targets, according to the rules of warfare. It's even legal for hunting very large game in certain states and countries.

During the 1860s, bullets with explosive contents began appearing. Officials and observers believed this was unnecessary and brutal, so restrictions were placed on explosive bullets. At the time, bullets were generally large caliber (.58 to .70 inches, sometimes up to an inch).

Auto-cannons (20mm to 30mm, or .78 inches to 1.37 inches) use explosive bullets, but are not handheld and generally won't explode inside a human body anyway, thus making them okay to use against humans. They typically are used against military aircraft or vehicles.

I'm not quite sure when this rumor of ".50s illegal against humans" started. It's been in circulation since at least the '70s.

That doesn't mean it's a good idea to be firing a heavy machine gun in a crowded city, though. It actually is a "bullet hose" (take that Violence Policy Center!).

[Shane]

Why don't they just hire Rambo to police the County? Give the guy a couple RPGs, some dynamite, a tank, and a .50 cal. Let god sort em out.

No offense to the good citizens of Richmond County South Carolina, but your Sherriff is an IDIOT. Do you have any idea how much money it costs to maintain and insure that equipment? Let alone liability if its used improperly.

[Jeez]

Fuckin cops

[pat]

'DasExperten | September 4, 2008, 3:26am | #
All of you whiny "OMFG police state" liberals need to give it a rest. Yeah it may not look nice but old M113s are lying around everywhere and are probably cheaper than a modern armored car.'

That's that a logical argument for the over saturated Military-Industrial Complex influence in American Politics, as far as, I am concerned. Neocon.

'Also quit calling police officers "Nazi pigs" you bunch of moonbat liberals. Hundreds of officers have died in the line of duty serving this country, and you have the nerve to call them Nazis from your computer chair?'

Yup

'Do you dumbass really think cops wake up in the morning and think "I want to beat somebody's ass"?'

Some certainly do, it's the result of "conditioning mentally and physically", added with a predominance for adrenaline addiction, it turns nicely into Explosive Personality Dissorder, and the result is a person so fried mentally that they may as well be made of pudding.

'No 99% of them want to go to work, get paid, and head home to their families like everybody else.'

A number like that is untrue and unverifiable, placing an arbitrary number on that concept in no way helps your loose emotional rant.

'Somebody has to uphold society's laws and keep this country, or any modern country from falling apart.'

Taking the Masochistic's Role I see. Assuming that we are all in need of an overlord, or else its impossible.
'Somebody'?!

How about "WE All", have to uphold societies laws. Chances are that with the police scaled back, tied in with simple decriminalization of narcotics. You jut saved a lot of money pain and time, and actually disturb the circle of waste and violence.

The police are not working with or without their technology.

[GetSerious]

So the homosexual pornography site Salon.com is a good source for information, is that right? Perhaps some of their recent contributors' libels of Governor Palin are the sort of thing you'll find useful to quote from as well...

[highpockets]

Ii think this weapon has one good purpose. In a mosque the men line up in rows. One round, maybe 10 killed. I hope every town with a mosque gets at least two each. Never forget Islam is a relegion of peace. Making terrorist without interference the most imporant piece.

[hosstrader]

Why not quad 50 or better yet a mini gun.

[PP]

I was pulled over by SLED agents once in Columbia after counter-protesting an anti-Confederate flag protest there. After harassing me for about half an hour and charging with me nothing I was finally ordered 'out of their city' by the 2 truck loads of agents. Since then I've naturally had a bad taste for 'law enforcement'. Where have real 'peace officers' gone? I guess they've all been replaced with these gung-ho jerks in tanks who live off of stolen money from the people.

[wizard of oz books]

With many new announcement about the wizard of oz movies in the news, you might want to consider starting to obtain Wizard of Oz book series either as collectible or investment at RareOzBooks.com.

[sathi2000]

Nice conversation with Haack...I would love to have the opportunity to have a chat with him...
http://destinationsoftwareinc.com

[john smith]

great post, keep posting dear

[??? ??? ???]

vere goood

[rmdseo]

I would love to have the opportunity to have a chat with him...

[rmdseo]

nice post

[Michael Crichton]

Hate to revive a dead thread, but I just had to point out that the only reason for the military's "reluctance" to use a .50 cal on unarmored personnel is practicality: You want to save your ammo for the bigger guns to use on targets heavily armored (or numerous) enough to need it. If that's not a concern at the moment, fire away! I agree that it's idiotic for any Sheriff's Department to have one, though. As for the M113, take the .50 off it and it's a perfectly practical off road vehicle for any agency that might have need of such.

[Dave]

There's your tax money at work. Who cares if we won't be fixing the highways for the next 20 years. We gots us a TANK!

[Andy Olsen]

Well it's good to see someone from the right criticize the militarization of American police forces. It seems that more and more the American people are considered not citizens but wards of the state to be threatened with tazing for not immediately obeying any command from their keepers, the police forces.

Meanwhile, the adherence to the First Amendment among conservatives pales next to their zealotry for 2nd amendment gun rights, for property rights and the right of the rich to hoard massive sums of money.

There are too many cowardly liberal politicians who go along with this, and I will criticize them, too. I hope we can join together and reject the growing police state and erosion of our freedoms for real, live citizens (no just corporations).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....23848.html

[SalmaG]

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