Crooks’ rifle pics released
They have released pictures and some info on the ‘eeevull’ AR-15 Mr. Crooks used to take a shot at Trump. Pearl clutching is in order.
The weapon itself is almost a box-stock DPMS model….certainly not a high-end rifle, more like the sort of thing you buy just walking into the gun store and asking for a decent AR for whatever reason. DPMS lists it at $550 – not the cheap[est around (but close) but certainly not a highend gun.
The photos show the firearm’s collapsable (sic – ed.) stock, which investigators say may have been used to conceal the rife at the site. CNN
The FBI lists it thusly:
Rifle type:
- Make: DPMS – Panther Arms
- Model: A-15
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm/.223 Remington Semiautomatic
Attachments:
- Atlas R-One, Aero Precision – Picatinny rail
- AEMS optics attached to rail
- Magpul collapsible stock
Well, let’s see – in this case the collapsible stock is standard with that model, it is not an added accessory. And while closing it up all the way shortens the overall length of the rifle minimally (like by what, 3″) it’s there to provide an adjustable length of stock pull, not for some nefarious purpose. And that Picatinny rail is simply an accessory mount – again, part of the package. Part of the FBI package of photos shows the rifle broken down – not surprisingly, int the same two assemblies held together by those old takedown pins we all know and love.
Actually, the optional items are the sights and front hooked handstop. Now, DPMS supplies these without physical sights, so adding an optic is almost essential (unless, like me and a few other old farts, ya just gotta have irons.) And the AEMS is not a bad sight – think of a much lower-priced equivalent to an EOTech. But it certainly doesn’t show anyone throwing a lot of money at a sniper’s killing machine. There are back-up iron sights, so I am guessing the original buyer (the boy’s father) knows SOMETHING. The hooked hand stop on the lower handguard…well, it’s a few extra bucks, but like the iron sights, pretty inconsequential.
The story is that this young fella essentially stole his father’s rifle and went out to try and do some damage. I don’t see anything to dispute that – it’s a serviceable rifle, it should hit a reasonable-sized target at reasonable ranges with any luck or skill on the part of the shooter. Nothing suggests it is a precision weapon or a component of a nefarious plot.
Category: 2024 Election, Crime, Trump!
That rifle is everything good about the modern American gun market: inexpensive, serviceable, modular, and made in the US.
That rifle is also anything but an easily concealable and high-precision weapon of choice for a would-be assassin. It was available, Crooks had made up his mind that he was going to act the fool, and the last conscious decision he made was pulling the trigger on a “scary military-grade weapon of war”. His mind was blown within seconds of its last synapse to the trigger finger. Someone capable of more serious thought, and who might have the means to procure a more suitable weapon, wouldn’t have chosen this DPMS w/1x optic.
The AR-15, known to my employer as a “modern sporting rifle”, has become everything Eugene Stoner hoped and then some. Well over fifty years as the US military’s standard service rifle, a go-to varmint and field rifle/carbine, and one of the better homestead defense weapons out there (depending on proximity of neighbors and the quality of your house build). Not to mention, a common sight in the hands of law enforcement after the 1997 North Hollywood Shootout showed how ineffective service pistols and shotguns are against well-armed and armored criminals.
But of course, this will be a rallying cry for the anti-gunners who have already been shouting, “see, these assault weapons are even being used against your candidates!!!!” More states will pass laws restricting AR-15s and similar rifles, and the Left will celebrate the “elimination” of such foul and infernal machines.
The nut behind the trigger is the problem here. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
We will never know what triggered his brain to do this unless an fbi secret whistle blower spills the beans.
With a Bushmaster AR-15 with a heavy 20” target barrel and a Leopold 3-9X scope, I shot ground squirrels at 3-500 yards. I rarely missed these 3” by 5” “targets.” This was only the fifth or sixth time I had shot this rifle, and the first time I shot it at a moving targets.
DPMS is one of the cappiest AR manufacturers out there. Terrible quality.
Surprised it even fired.
They have been passed around a bit. Freedom Group then out in 2007, then Cerebus bought out Freedom Group, last I heard JE Enterprises (PSA and others) owned the brand. Prior to the 2007 buy out, quality was pretty good. When they got bought out they got rid of their top people because, you know that is what capital management companies do to Increase profits.
They were in on ground floor of the return of the AR to the marketplace 20 years ago this week with the expiry of the AWB. I don’t think they have come up with anything new since 2007. I still have one of their early AR-10 style rifles and it’s a great shooter. I shot a 2012 vintage of the same exact gun a while back and it was garbage.
That’s sad to hear. My bud put a decent scope on his mini SASS back in the day and it was a tack driver at 100m and pretty good further out to MER depending on ammo.
Bushmaster is another story, but the Bar-10 had it’s moments.
To see my rifle pics and get a personal session…
See my OF.
It’s a basic affordable sporting rifle. It works as designed. We can all be thankful that the moron behind it was never given any real training. Instead of going for a basic sure thing, a center mass shot, he went for the head shot. Aim small, miss small.
Fortunately the counter sniper, when he did get spun up, was a better shot with better equipment.
I believe the counter sniper shot him in the head.
When shooting from a profile the head is generally the same width as the rest of the body. But when shooting at a profile you have an arm and shoulder in the way. Trump was almost certainly wearing a ballistic vest, I think any reasonable person would have assumed that as well.
No reason to think you can’t hit a head size Target, especially Trump’s nugget, at 100 yards with a red dot scope and an out of the box AR. If Trump had not turned his head at the right moment that would have been it.
150m headshot, with iron sights, prone, and a rack grade AR? Lol. Any competent shot can do that.
Hit a dessert sized paper plate at 150m.
Now, rushed by a cop surprising him, then the “oshitoshitoshit” ….
But given a prepped and cool shooter, that was not a challenging shot. So for the next hundred years we are going to hear how it had to be some super-elaborate leak-proof conspiracy (reeeeealee!!!!) and not yet another lone nut getting almost lucky.
All well and good that the fan belt inspectors released a pic of the supposed scary black ebil weapon of war that the supposed “sniper” used to take his shots, howsomeever, what I’m wanting to see released is how this supposed nut job managed to get into his position and do all of this unaided. I won’t be holding my breath awaiting for that info to be made public.
Probly coulda got closer with a handgun and easy peasy shot.
I just watched this, can’t disagree with James Reeves’ assessment: https://youtu.be/ulh88aBI0iU?si=dwzgK4ozYutIrrCW
I agree completely with this youtuber’s analysis. Thankfully, the shooter POS used substandard gear. With a properly zeroed 5 power telescopic sight,Trump would now be resting on the root side of the grass.
“properly zeroed 5 power telescopic sight”
Overkill (see what I did there?).
Open sights on just about any weapon would have done it.
Not with the precision required for one shot one kill. I hit silhouette targets at 500 yards with an accurized heavy barrel M-16 in Chu Lai. But I missed about a third of the shots.
This was less than 200 yards, from a prone position. Even I did that. Of course I had the benefit of that thorough, top-notch, Army marksmanship training.
Substandard gear or not, that first round was dead on. At that range you don’t need expert gear, or even expert training. The only reason Trump is still alive is he turned his head at the right moment. What I don’t understand is how he missed that gaggle of SS agents covering Trump with the other seven rounds.
There is never a reason to miss a cold shot. It might be more like a “warm shot” because he has the LEO encounter, but still.
Okay, I’ve seen lots and plenty of those for sale everywhere, especially at *GASP!* Gun Shows. In my neck of the woods, pretty much everyone and their Grandma owns one, so where are the mass shootings that libtards say are inevitable with those scary black rifles? I am FAR more interested as to how that little young moron got so close to Donald Trump at a rally while under USSS protection, I smell some plotting and extra-gross incompetence.
BLACK RIFLES ARE SUPER-PREDATORS!
The collapsible stock in the photos dispels the story that the officer who first returned fire disabled this rifle when he hit the stock. The photos show that his bullet hit the top of the stock just forward of its buttplate. But collapsed the buffer tube is undamaged, thus there is no basis to claim that shot disabled the AR.
I find it strange that this clown did not put an optic with magnification and traditional crosshairs on his AR. Had he done so, Trump would likely be dead. The Holosun AEMS aimpoint he used has a reticle with a 2 MOA red dot, not precise for a sniper shot, even at only 140 yards.
Even with a damaged buffer tube, assuming he had one in the chamber, that round would fire (with possibly negative effects to the shooter, depending on what kind of damage the tube suffered), but definitely not more than one shot.
I think that plastic shrapnel spraying into the base of his neck likely caused him not to shoot again in the couple of seconds before that .30 cal. bullet entered his brain pan.