More rocket launcher idiocy in LA
Just when we thought that all of the hyperbole had been wrung out of the news of some “rocket launchers” which were bought by police in the gun buy back operation in Los Angeles, the LA Times weighs in with the news that those two expended tubes were actually from the military;
I guess that’s as opposed to the civilian version. But, I found the uneducated banter in the article even more hilarious.
Det. Gus Villanueva said the launchers were “stripped-down shells” without the technical parts needed to discharge a projectile. “They don’t have capability to discharge anything anymore,” he said.
Well, that and the fact that it can’t be reloaded anyway. What, exactly is a “stripped down shell” anyway? The fact that the inert tube can’t be fired again doesn’t stop one spokesman from dragging out the scary-gun meme.
Beck said he’s used to military-style weapons being turned in at such events. He noted that neither of the launchers had rockets in them, and they did not pose a danger.
Still, he said such weapons have no place on the streets of L.A.
“Those are weapons of war, weapons of death,” Beck said. “These are not hunting guns. These are not target guns. These are made to put high-velocity, extremely deadly, long-range rounds down-range as quickly as possible, and they have no place in our great city.”
The only danger those tubes posed to the community was if someone got hit in the head with one if someone swung it like a club, and even then, the victim would only suffer scratches from the various protuberances. It’s almost as if The Duffel Blog has their own police force.
LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined in the hoopla;
“As you can see to my right and left, these weren’t just guns that weren’t functioning anymore,” Villaraigosa said at a news conference Thursday morning. “These were serious guns — semiautomatic weapons, guns that have no place on the streets of Los Angeles or any other city.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think that the LA Times was just trying to make their public safety officials look foolish. I’m sure everyone involved will get medals and pay raises for their valorous seizure of the inert fiberglass tubes. And these are the people who want to dictate the country’s gun control policy.
Category: Dumbass Bullshit
I wonder what the actual “line” officers think about all this. Surely several are ex military and are looking at this and shaking their heads. It’s always fun to be those guys, standing stone face behind your superiors while they say the stupidest crap out loud…
@1. They’re probably repeating the old saw, “The higher up you go, the stupider you get.” As for the stone faces, yeah, it’s perfect for one of those cartoons that reveals in a bubble what the guy is thinking. In this case, probably something like, “No, that idiot didn’t just say THAT!”
Chinese hand cuffs are on the streets of LA! These of course are the larger versions designed for politicians and their very capable assistants.
The AT4 is High Velocity and an empty one is a dangerous weapon? I think we need to start issuing basic logic tests to people in positions like this. “If a prepackaged, disposable weapon has been fired, is it still a threat?” Yes/no. If yes, fired immediately. Preferably at whatever velocity he thinks the thing actually goes.
Not all the quotes in that statement are about the tubes, unless they are even more screwed up than I imagined possible.
Do they have the same attitude towards the brass of expanded ammunition? Seriously, if someone were turn in an ammo can of spent brass casings, they would have to evacuate a four block radius.
Seems like someone thinks as I do. they make the expanded brass analogy, also. In addition, he reports that police are investigating how the “rocket launchers” were acquired. i thought they were running a no questions asked turn-in.
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-lapd-got-punked-and-bought-back-rocket-launchers-that-literally-do-nothing-2012-12
Did they also collect the high capacity magazines for these weapons
@7 – In other words, the LAPD doesn’t know its botoxed behind from a hole in the ground? And they got hosed in the process of letting everyone know just how dumb they are.
I love stuff like this. More, please.
Political correctness in LAPD is why Barrett will not service the PD’s .50s any more.
Becks an idiot and proof that the “Peter Principle” is alive and well as 2-17 AirCav suggests. The last real Chief was Ed Davis. Since then they’ve all pretty much been politically motivated asshats, not that we didn’t have our share prior to that. It got a whole lot worse in the 80s when PC really started taking over. With few exceptions they’re the ones with little street experience that start plotting their way up the ladder on Academy graduation day no matter who gets stepped on…..Think I knew a few of those ass kissers in the Corps
Jeez Louise!! Don’t these numbfu*ks know what “INERT” means?
After reading what they say, it sounds scary to arm the LAPD, a 50 cal Barrett to someone who has no basic.
An expended AT-4 trainer is like a used condom. If you really want to you could find a way to use it again,,,, but who the hell would?
LA politicians and bureaucrats prove stupidity is contagious.
It’s the result of an air vector virus that’s “caught” through an open mouth. Since those two professions run their mouths more than any other 50 professions, they’re more vulnerable to stupidity than others.
Antonio Villaraigosa would go to the opening of an envelope if he thought he could get press coverage out of it. Even the die-hard liberals in LA are glad he’s termed out.
@1 Bam Bam…most of the LAPD officers are either tools, PC assclowns, or biding their time until they can get on a PD out in the ‘burbs or behind the Orange Curtain.
I heard those expended AT-4 shells make great bongs.
Just what I hear….
Lets take some 3 inch PVC, paint it OD and turn it in at the next buy back. It’s just as dangerous, and we can use the money to buy more ammo. Win win.
#19 Makes me wonder if we could find a friend’s old potato gun and turn it in. Hell, that thing is definitely more dangerous than that AT4 shell, it actually shoots something.
Anyone else get the feeling the next time they do this, they’re going to get laser tag guns, paintball guns, broken airsoft, nerf guns, rubber band guns and cheap 50 cent water guns?
#20, They would if I lived in LA. LOL
What else can be turned in? Let’s start a list.
1. Those rubber M-16 replicas used for swim qualification.
2. Soldering guns. They are guns, after all.
3. Heat shrink guns (the comm guys know what I am talking about).
4. Grenadine
5. Explosive diarrhea.
6. O-rings to hand grenades, just as dangerous as the miltary ordnance turned ina bove.
7. A rubber band with a box of paper clips. According to Sister Margaret, they could put someone’s eye out.
@22.
Nail guns, radar guns and water guns.
Radar guns are illegal in Virginia.
Maybe DOD can make a profit by selling all range residue to municipatlities.
Myself I like the idea of a Duffel Blog Police Force !!!!!
I am certain they would perform their police functions much better than the LAPD is currently doing !!!
Yeah. They’re making a big deal out of paperweights. I saw this piece on twitter. The writer pokes massive holes in the LA Times story, LAPD and offers advice to uneducated media covering weapons.
http://teopespin.com/2012/12/29/uninformed-media-more-dangerous-than-rocket-launchers/
Hack, Green Thumb — you guys left out something with a folding stock and a trigger: the Vidal Sassoon folding travel blow dryer. Same size as a large hand gun, has a folding stock and shoots hot air, just like these cops.
If you get that much for a completely inert non-weapon, how much would ya get for a slingshot…with no rubberband?
And how about those little bars of hotel soap.
They are very scary and quite useless.
[…] More rocket launcher idiocy in LA […]
@30
Oh…oh. Good call. After all, soap is often made from Glycerin….and explosives are often made from nitro glycerin. Coincidence? I think not.
I’ve seen dumpsters out back of my regimental area that were full to the top with the old LAAWS M-72 after a rocket shoot on the range.
Fellow Marines took a couple home to hang on the top of the fireplace.
None could be re-loaded and none could be re-fired and were no danger to anyone even as a club. These are much like the old M-40 RR 106 mm shells, they didn’t even make good ashtrays and were as safe as a piece of pipe full of holes.
I bet the landfills at CLNC are full of them.
All this for a pipe shaped piece of fiber glass.
I saw a piece about this on CBS news – the mayor of LA took the opportunity to make a jab at the NRA, and the police chief talked about the buyback programs and gun violence decreasing. Then this shows up in the SacBee:
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A2KLf3GWMOJQ5xEApg.bvZx4?p=sacremento+bee+gun+violence+down+sales+up&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-701
I don’t even want to mention what we used to buy at the old Army Navy Surplus store many, many years ago.
The pictures I’ve seen, it looks like a lot of those guns are very new and mutiples of a few models. I’m thinking they emptied out an arms room onto the display table. They need to present video of the guns being removed from cars and actually turned in, or I call Shenanigans.