The Delusion of Military Grade Weapons

The fairy-tale term of “military grade weapons” is now being used as an attempt to define (redefine) semi-automatic rifles. Just when you might think dumb couldn't get dumber, it gets dumber. Semi-automatic .22 caliber Armalite rifles are now called “military grade” just because someone wants to call them that.

When Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, no one felt that sending over crates of .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles was important. No one told Hitler that he was a nazty guy and if he didn't cool his jets, .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles would be unleashed against his panzer divisions.

When the Allies invaded Normandy on June 6^th, 1944, they used no .22 semi-automatic rifles. The strategic daylight bombing runs of WWII targeted no .22 semi-automatic rifle factories. When the Japanese bombed the United States, you might think that they would have targeted .22 semi-automatic rifle storage instead of sending the United States Pacific Fleet to the bottom of the ocean. All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four sunk. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and a anti-aircraft training ship. One hundred eighty-eight U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded. Fearsome .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles were ignored.

You might think that the United States would have threatened the use of .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles to end the war with Japan? We dropped nuclear bombs instead.

During the Korean War, 1.2 million people died, but none from the use of .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles. When weapons of war focused on Vietnam, the United States used chemical weapons for 10 long years, exposing some 4,000,000 people to our “Tactical Rainbow Herbicides.” The Red Cross of Vietnam estimates that up to 1 million people are disabled or have health problems as a result of Agent Orange contamination. Where were the fearsome .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles?

When Saddam Hussein was repelled from Kuwait, it was Gulf War time. Precision-guided munitions were heralded as key in allowing military strikes to be made with a minimum of civilian casualties compared to previous wars, although they were not used as often as more traditional, less accurate bombs. Specific buildings in downtown Baghdad could be bombed while journalists in their hotels watched cruise missiles fly by. Precision-guided munitions amounted to approximately 7.4% of all bombs dropped by the coalition. Other bombs included cluster bombs, which disperse numerous sub-munitions, and daisy cutters: 15,000-pound bombs which can disintegrate everything within hundreds of yards.

Military grade weapons include Tomahawk missiles, armed predator drones, helicopter gunships, so-called “smart” bombs, and bunker-buster bombs . . . no war or “police action” is fought exclusively, or even primarily, with .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles. Back in World War II, when the war ended, more than 25,000 U.S.-laid mines were still in place, and the Navy proved unable to sweep them all, limiting efforts to critical areas. After sweeping for almost a year, in May 1946, the Navy abandoned the effort with 13,000 mines still unswept.

Today, the United States still maintains about 800 military bases in more than 70 countries and territories abroad—from giant “Little Americas” to small radar facilities. Nuclear submarines, attack aircraft, missiles, tanks, the floating cities of aircraft carriers. Consider that carriers of the Gerald R. Ford class have:

• Advanced arresting gear.

• Automation, allowing a crew of several hundred fewer than the Nimitz-class carrier.

• The updated RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile.

• An AN/SPY-3 X Band multi-function radar and an AN/SPY-4 S Band volume search radar. Designated together as Dual Band Radar (DBR), initially developed for the Zumwalt-class destroyers.

• An Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) in place of traditional steam catapults for launching aircraft.

• A new nuclear reactor design (the A1B reactor) for greater power generation.

• Stealth features to reduce radar cross-section.

• The ability to carry up to 90 aircraft, including the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Boeing EA-18G Growler, Grumman C-2 Greyhound, Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II, Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, and unmanned combat aerial vehicles such as the Northrop Grumman X-47B.

Ships of the Gerald R. Ford class are intended to sustain 160 sorties per day for 30-plus days, with a surge capability of 270 sorties per day. All with a crew of 2600, unlimited range, and a 50 year service life. It uses, as a bonus, pair of 3000 mph + Sea Sparrow missile launchers along with countless other goodies. The United States, as of 2017, still has an inventory of 6800 nuclear warheads. Those aren't used to recharge anyone's smartphone.

Anyone who tries to call a semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle a “military grade weapon” in 2018 is either stupid, tragically incompetent, or just plain lying. It must be just anything and everything to attack the Bill of Rights and civil liberties. Politicians solemnly swear to uphold and protect the United States Constitution, not to attack it, dilute it, or to dismember it. They should be ashamed of themselves. As many are clearly not, they sorely need to be quickly voted out of office where they cannot as easily attack the Constitution of the United States.

– Randy Wakeman

 

Copyright 2018 by Randy Wakeman. All Rights Reserved.