Thursday, April 30, 2015

Oh, fer cryin' out loud. Almost ALL rifles will penetrate ballistic vests, and these cops damn well know it. UPDATE: But wait, it's apparently the first Kalashnikov SKS ever discovered (and with real "armor-piercing" hollow points, too!).

The deadly armor-defeating "AK47" . . . er, ah, SKS "assault rifle."
The evil SKS rifle rears its ugly head in collectivist propaganda. Again. -- Police: Haverhill men arrested with rifle capable of penetrating armored vests.
"This was great work on the part of Haverhill Police Detectives and the ATF," said Haverhill Detective Captain Robert Pistone. "This particular rifle, in the wrong hands, is lethal, and capable of penetrating ballistic vests and armor."
LATER: It gets even more ridiculous: "Police, Feds Seize Assault Rifle, 10 Rounds of Ammunition." I have now posted above a picture of said "assault rifle," which the reporter cannot seem to decide if it is a Simonov or a Kalashnikov. Here is the opening paragraphs of THIS version:
Haverhill police say the arrests of two local men on weapons charges, reported early yesterday by WHAV, were the result of a joint investigation with federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents into the illegal selling of an AK47 rifle.
Joshua Lavalley, 23 and Thomas Souther, 24, both of 32 Nichols St., Haverhill, were located at about 10:20 p.m., Tuesday, in the parking lot of 62 Portland St., standing near a white Chrysler sedan when police approached. A Norinco SKS Rifle was located in the trunk of the vehicle, along with 10 rounds of 7.62x39 ammunition and clips, according to Captain Robert P. Pistone, Haverhill police spokesperson.
“This was great work on the part of Haverhill Police Detectives and the ATF, as this particular rifle in the wrong hands is lethal and capable of penetrating ballistic vests and armor,” Pistone said.
The error describing the rifle as an "AK47" is not just in the text. Both photos have the tag "AK47" on them. We can assume, however, since the photograph definitely is one of a standard 10-round fixed magazine SKS on an aftermarket folding stock that it is a Simonov. And here's a photo accompanying the story of the deadly "armor piercing" ammunition.
Yup, here's your deadly "armor-piercing" jacketed hollow point hunting round 7.62x39s.
And the "reporters" evidently got their information straight from the ATF. Sheesh, whoever thought the guncops were that stupid about firearms? No, wait, don't answer that.
EVEN LATER: From Twang and Bang -- Modern Crossbow vs. Modern Body Armor! Tactical Assault Crossbow and Level IIIA Panel

18 comments:

GaryM said...

Wouldn't you'd have loved to be there and after that statement ask "Captain, isn't it true that most center fire rifles will penetrate ballistic vests?" And that being said, what makes this rifle more dangerous than those others?

Of course a follow up question could be "Is it because it's owned by a citizen rather than an Only One?

Mikey said...

You mean an SKS can sell for $600 in Massachuss... Massac... um... that state where Boston is?

Damn. Wonder what an AK clone goes for...

Anonymous said...

If thats Haverhill, Mass, I expect no less a headline.
Surprised they didn't claim it could punch a APC!!

FedUp said...

I'd like to see them use that description evenly, instead of just in reference to semi-autos of military heritage.

If the cops jumped some guy for open carrying a 'cop killer rifle' while walking in the ditch on his way to the woods to hunt deer, and the accompanying picture was of a 1894 with half the bluing worn off, vest penetrating rifles wouldn't seem so scary any more.

Anonymous said...

Yup.

Local police and the ATF.

Guaranteeing you will have no rights or freedoms and that your constitution and your bill of rights, mean nothing.

They consider themselves heroes.

Anonymous said...

Many cops know surprisingly little about guns. Period. In an interview with a Miami Herald reporter one City of Miami cop referred to a 9mm FMJ bullet found at a crime scene as a "war head".

Anonymous said...

This particular rifle, in the RIGHT hands, is also lethal, and capable of penetrating ballistic vests and armor.

Arkindole said...

Wow...great job working out that bust with what must have been a massive intelligence task force. My money is on a Craigslist moron that could have got a type 56 on CTD for 3 1/2.

Maybe the feds can spread out a bit for the cells in the neighborhood that have the real heavy stuff.

At least the commenters there are taking the paper to school on the ballistics.

BTW; I was wondering when they were going to start a PR campaign designed to go after the (Silver Bear) 762's.

Joe said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nLRymWv-CA

Modern Crossbow vs. level IIIA
soft armor panel.

Anonymous said...

Hey fedup, here in my state it's long been illegal to hunt game with rifles (beyond the 22 squirrel hunt...which just happens to be the ammo you STILL cannot get anywhere around here). The one standout "allowed" rifle hunts were coyote, which are considered nuisance animals. A year or couple ago they finally "fixed" it to "allow" folks to take a coyote with a slug from a shotgun "thanks" to the NRA.

So here, it's been quite literally arranged to this - the "only" thing you could "possibly" want that rifle for is a nefarious reason .... Because you can hunt anything with it, many ranges have limited or no resources for accommodating target shooting with them (not allowed due to noise level or "too powerful" or not enough room etc et etc.).

That's the "sporting purpose" thing soooo many don't realize across the country. The idea that you can't even hunt with rifles beyond a 22 is something many disbelieve. Yet true it is, demonstrating to ability to outright BAN that "sporting purposes" REALLY IS.

GUESS WHI was behind the coyote deal?! You guessed it - the National RIFLE Association. The same group that partnered with Democrats on carry legislation that bans open carry of rifles.....

Stupid reporters, ignorant reporters as well sure do pull off some dueseys. But they at upstaged by others....
At least reporters don't try to hide their gun controlling ways.

Jimmy the Saint said...

@Mikey: "an SKS can sell for $600 in Massachuss... Massac... um... that state where Boston is?

Damn. Wonder what an AK clone goes for..."

Probably 20 to Life.

Anonymous said...

This is a nothingburger arrest so the cops and ATF have to justify the incredible amount of resources wasted through hyped up language.

Unfortunately, (intentionally?) innocent citizens were arrested for nothing more than a business transaction.


-Blake

Anonymous said...

They must have thrown that rifle pretty hard to penetrate that a vest.

Anonymous said...

Oh hell - well - there's some old Black Powder Cartridge rounds that might not actually "penetrate" a vest. Problem is, some will actually push the vest into the chest cavity of the wearer - and yeah- it's actually happened. Seems it was the ubiquitous 45-70 - not even something heavy like a 50-110 or 50-140.
But people can have their larynx crushed, and it's OK - it wasn't "gun violence" or some such nonsense.

Anonymous said...

Excellent crime fighting there, Boys! Brought this to mind!

"$1.50 worth of cocaine"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EZrOJLMyNk

GaryM said...

Well, to their credit they at least got the "clip" part right for once.

Anonymous said...

There's always plastic bottles, steel wool and subsonic .22. What are they going to do, wear face armor?

Anonymous said...

These comments are why I come to Sipsey.