Experts Call for Strict Control on Sniper Rifles

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Efforts are intensifying to keep the most deadly and powerful sniper rifles on the market out of the hands of terrorists to protect Illinois aviation and vulnerable industrial targets.

.50 caliber sniper rifles were designed as battlefield rifles to puncture armor, attack personnel carriers and fuel tanks, and to be used for assassination due to the rifle’s astonishing range and firepower, but are easier to get in Illinois than a handgun. In addition, .50 caliber sniper rifles and ammunition are easily available over the internet and at guns shows, including highly lethal ammunition such as armor piercing and incendiary rounds which are currently legal.

It was because of the terrorist threat of .50 caliber sniper rifles that prompted former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pass legislation in California to restrict the .50 caliber rifle to military and law enforcement officials only.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

A recent study by the Rand Corporation found that there were no adequate defenses to prevent a terrorist from using a .50 caliber sniper rifle to attack civilian airplanes at long range taxiing on the runway or during takeoff or landing, as was reported recently by 60 Minutes.

The combination of distance, firepower, and lethal ammunition puts .50 caliber sniper rifles in a class all on their own. .50 caliber sniper rifles can accurately engage targets up to 2,000 yards, or twenty football fields laid end to end.