The Sheriff attempting to charge Phelps also acquired a .50 Cal

[JonLP24]

S.C. Sheriff's Department Armored Vehicle with Belt-Fed Machine Gun

The Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff's Department has acquired an armored personnel carrier complete with a turret-mounted .50-caliber belt-fed machine gun for its Special Response Team.

Sheriff Leon Lott told the Columbia State newspaper that he hoped the vehicle, named "The Peacemaker," would let the bad guys know that his officers are serious.

"We don't look at this as a killing machine," Lott told the paper. "It's going to keep the peace. We hope the fact that we have this is going to save lives. When something like this rolls up, it's time to give up."

The Peacemaker has a top speed of 30 mph.
http://www.policemag.com/News/2008/03/06/S-C-Sheriffs-Department-Armored-Vehicle-with-Belt-Fed-Machine-Gun.aspx

I can't imagine a realistic scenario in which you need a .50 cal in which M-16s can't handle.

[ThomWV]

1. The militarization of our Police has to stop

Who do you think it will be that is our real oppressor when the time comes? It will be the local cop, that's who it will be.

[dbackjon]

2. Exhibit A as to why Sherriff should not be elected

Exhibit B is Joke Arapaio in Maricopa County, Arizona.

[JonLP24]

10. i can't believe he is still in charge

I can understand being tough on crime but when it comes to treatment of prisoners and pre-trial detainees he is an unethical. I mean a pregnant woman lost a child because of failure of the staff to take her seriously then blamed the death on the paramedics.

[Stevenmarc]

3. Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane lives

[DinahMoeHum]

4. Like I've said before, this is a guy who can't kick a duck in the ass

unless he stands on a brick to do it.

:evilfrown:

[NJmaverick]

5. There are legit uses for the armored vehicle, in law enforcement

since it serves a protective role. The belt fed 50 caliber, on the other hand, is too dangerous to responsibly use in civilian areas. Then again this nut case sherriff went after college kids for smoking pot, so he clearly is lacking in good judgment.

[ThomWV]

8. No there are not.

[NJmaverick]

15. You have a sniper situation, with injured civilians or law enforcement

you are unable to reach them, because it requires crossing his field of fire. In a situation like that, an armored vehicle can be a life saver.

[ThomWV]

19. Horseshit. There is no justification for local police to be armed like this

None.

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. Many urban police departments have armored vehicles -

that's not the problem. It is the weapon that is the problem.

[NJmaverick]

25. That was an idiotic response

I am not wasting my time with you. You are far too closed minded.

[Marrah_G]

17. Yes, there is....just probably not anything that guy would be handling.

[atreides1]

11. He wants Phelps

Deputy Dawg went after those kids because he wants to nail Phelps. It was reported that when this asshat arrested several of the suspects his questions were all about Phelps.

[JonLP24]

12. I have no problem with the armored car

But a .50 cal is ridiculous. It is very dangerous. The velocity from the bullet is enough to kill you or rip a limb off.

[RaleighNCDUer]

21. That's not what I worry about if a bad guy is shooting at them.

What I worry about is the .50 cal round punching through the bad guy and then three successive walls and killing Mom standing in the kitchen on the next street over.

[JonLP24]

27. That's a valid reason

Though my problem is a .50 cal is excessive to use against a bad guy. A .249 is pretty powerful weapon that could be used if absolutely necessary.

[aikoaiko]

6. .50 are sometimes referred to as anti-material (small ones at that)

because the intended use was to stop armored vehicles or destroy some physical object. The Army first used Barret .50 cal rifles in their EOD units to destroy IEDs.

But generally, I agree, its difficult to imagine a Sheriff using one.

[JonLP24]

14. I wanted to say that

But I wasn't 100% sure but I did learn from the military that the .50 cal was not originally designed to kill humans but rather destroy objects such as you mentioned. I know it does make an effective sniper rifle because of it's accuracy at long distances.

[pnutbutr]

20. 1400 meters

I believe is the longest distance for a confirmed kill by a sniper with a .50 Australian dude in Iraq.

[JonLP24]

22. 2,430 meters

On that March afternoon in 2002, Cpl. Furlong squinted through the scope of his McMillan Tac-50, a sleek bolt-action rifle almost as long as he is. In his crosshairs were three men, each lugging weapons toward an al-Qaeda mortar nest high in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Master Cpl. Tim McMeekin, hunkered behind his fellow sniper, saw the same trio through the lens of his Vector, a binocular-like device that uses a laser to pinpoint targets thousands of metres away. Speaking quietly, both soldiers agreed on the obvious: take out the biggest threat first, in this case the man in the middle carrying the RPK machine gun. According to the Vector, he was exactly 2,430 m away -- nearly 2 1/2 kilometres.

http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20060515_126689_126689

[pnutbutr]

26. Wow

It's been a long time since I read it. 2430 meters. That's crazy!

[DS1]

29. I've aimed down that McMillan, the scope on it is incredible

I was looking at a building about 200 yards away, and the gutter drain near the ground just about took up the entire FOV.

[RT Atlanta]

7. another black eye for Columbia

what is it with those yahoos over there? You have this fuck-stick trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill when there are more serious matters that he should tend to rather than harassing USC students and their friends.

[Ellipsis]

9. Nothing like a nice mellow Sunday drive...

Here it is.

[rockymountaindem]

16. That looks like one of those APCs from the Vietnam War

Is it?

[Ellipsis]

24. ...kinda looks like a M113, don't know, it's the actual one he bought.

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/128482.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M113_Armored_Personnel_Carrier

[pnutbutr]

13. ask to shoot it

If I lived there I'd ask to shoot my gun since it was paid for with taxpayer money.

[underpants]

18. Let's see what the International Committee of the Red Cross says about .50 cal ammo

Project of an International Declaration concerning the Laws and Customs of War. Brussels, 27 August 1874.
Means of injuring the enemy
Art. 13. According to this principle are especially ' forbidden ':

(a) Employment of poison or poisoned weapons;
(b) Murder by treachery of individuals belonging to the hostile nation or army;
(c) Murder of an enemy who, having laid down his arms or having no longer means of defense, has surrendered at discretion;
(d) The declaration that no quarter will be given;
(e) The employment of arms, projectiles or material calculated to cause unnecessary suffering, as well as the use of projectiles prohibited by the Declaration of St. Petersburg of 1868;
(f) Making improper use of a flag of truce, of the national flag or of the military insignia and uniform of the enemy, as well as the distinctive badges of the Geneva Convention;
(g) Any destruction or seizure of the enemy's property that is not imperatively demanded by the necessity of war.
http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/WebART/135-70013?OpenDocument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Petersburg_Declaration_of_1868

Convention (II) with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land and its annex: Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land. The Hague, 29 July 1899.
ANNEX TO THE CONVENTION : Regulations respecting the laws and customs of war on land #Section II : On hostilities #Chapter I : On means of injuring the enemy, sieges, and bombardments
Art. 23. Besides the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially prohibited

(a) To employ poison or poisoned arms;
(b) To kill or wound treacherously individuals belonging to the hostile nation or army;
(c) To kill or wound an enemy who, having laid down arms, or having no longer means of defence, has surrendered at discretion;
(d) To declare that no quarter will be given;
(e) To employ arms, projectiles, or material of a nature to cause superfluous injury;
(f) To make improper use of a flag of truce, the national flag or military ensigns and uniform of the enemy, as well as the distinctive badges of the Geneva Convention;
(g) To destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.
http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/WebART/150-110029?OpenDocument

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_convention

[YOY]

28. and just supposing all the officers were made of the best they could be.

What precaustions are made to make sure this thing doesn't fall into the wrong hands...I mean, well organized resistance...or a clever thief can take that thing over.

BEyond that, that thing doesn't just kill...50 cals can freaking jellify/liquify organs from the force they strike with. That's not a peace keeper...it's a weapon of war.

[Deep13]

30. When the army of invading robots arrive, they'll be ready.

Under what conditions is that safe for civilian (which is what cops are) use? Frankly, I don't like the idea of the police using M16s. The bullets are far too unpredictable in flight once they hit something.

[JonLP24]

32. I agree about the M16s

But situations like that north hollywood bank robbery a situation like that is where a M-16 could be useful

[lib2DaBone]

31. Oh great..Barney Fife with a .50 Cal Machine Gun....

.. running around SC arresting people on the basis of a photo.... this country is sick.

[Ellipsis]

33. The guy on the machine gun only gets one bullet.

which can go through a couple of people ...and then a couple of walls.

The sheriff's ego is on the line. This acquisition ain't going to help him.

[DS1]

34. His dick must be smaller than philboy and Engi say mine is

and that's saying a lot, because they sure do say it's tiny, repeatedly. Without getting suspended or anything. Not that consistency means a shit.

[Romulox]

35. Probably paid for his killing machine with drug forfeiture money. nt

[MineralMan]

36. Sheriff Leon Lott wrote this, in response to our query:

"We need that there machine gun, by gawd. You never do know when a band of dope-smoking hippies is gonna attack. That there .50 calubir machine gun will make short work of them hippies, sure as your born. And then, there's them other undesirables. A shurf don't never know when them undesirables is gonna get all uppity and come out on the street. We'll be redy for them."

[Javaman]

37. Sounds like this out of control barney fife is out to get rid of those longhaired hippies. nt