SELLING HIGH POWERED MILITARY WEAPONS IN THE SUBURBS:The Threat of .50 Caliber Armor-Piecing Sniper Rifles

In 1987, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc., patented its self-described "armor-penetrating" .50 caliber BMG sniper rifle. Capable of destroying armored personnel carriers, aircraft and bulk fuel and ammunition sites, the .50 caliber sniper rifle is now proliferating in the civilian market. Accurate at up to 2,000 yards (20 football fields end-to-end) it can inflict effective damage to targets over four miles away. With more power on impact then any other semi-automatic rifle legally available on the civilian market, the .50 caliber represents a serious threat to our local law enforcement and national security.

First used by the military during the Gulf War, the .50 caliber BMG anti-armor sniper rifle is no ordinary rifle. Its design enables the destruction of military aircraft and heavy machinery from long ranges. The concept of discrete shooting distances shaped its use and image as an ideal sniper weapon. The .50 caliber was designed with the most exceptional power, accuracy and destructive characteristics of all semi-automatic rifles. The key to its lethality is the .50 caliber bullet. Although the size of the rounds is alarming, it is the energy at impact (ft-lb) that makes the rounds so destructive. Fifty caliber ammunition has more than 7 times the power on impact as the .30-06, 5 times that of the .308 and over three times that of the .338.[1]

The deadliest .50 caliber ammunition is the Raufoss multi-purpose round. These bullets combine armor-piercing, explosive, and incendiary effects for maximum destruction. The United States Marine Corps notes that the Raufoss multi-purpose round can penetrate an inch of steel at 2000 yards.[2] Additionally, International Defense Review estimates that the round is "probably capable of disabling a man wearing body armor who is standing behind the wall of a house at 2,000 meters."[3] The impact of these rounds are so horrific that in 1998 the International Committee of the Red Cross tried to have the round declared an "exploding bullet" banned under international law.[4] An excerpt from Sniper: The Skills, the Weapons, and the Experience provides an example of how the U.S. military exploited its tremendous firepower during the Gulf War: "The Barrett M82A1 was used in the Gulf War; a hundred rifles were rushed to the Marine Corps in time to see action in the desert. In one engagement, Sergeant Kenneth Terry of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, hit and knocked out an Iraqi BMP armored personnel carrier with two armor-piercing incendiary rounds at a range of 1100 meters."[5]

The most regularly used round of .50 caliber ammunition is called the "ball." According to the U.S. Army, ball ammunition is so powerful it can penetrate one inch of concrete, six inches of sand, and 21 inches of clay at a range of 1,640 yards.[6] At a range of 38 yards it can penetrate an inch of armor plate and 16 inches of log wall. Armor-piercing and incendiary ammunition is another basic .50 caliber round which the U.S. Army uses against armored aircrafts and lightly armored vehicles.[7] The armor piercing incendiary rounds are tipped with phosphorous that explodes on impact and burns at 3,000 degrees. These rounds will ignite almost any fuel they encounter, and if shot into a tree will set the tree on fire