Go Directly to Comments Page --->

At last it is over.

A terrible waste of 10 decent, productive human lives taken by the lowest life forms among us: Those who do evil just to be evil.

I'll leave these pages up for a few more days.

Realize that what you read below has not been updated since the arrests.

NOTE

1. I am not involved in the investigation and I do not know any specific data on this case -- other than what I read in the papers and see on TV.

2. Everything you read here is subject to change as more actual information about the case becomes available.

Shown above is a commonly available type of .223 (or 5.56x45mm)ammunition. The bullet is a 55 grain (3.6gm) Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) type with a muzzle velocity of approx 3,300 f/s (feet per second). There are many different other bullet types (soft point, hollow point, etc). The particular type of ammunition used by theshooter has not been (to my knowledge) publicly announced. I am sure that the case investigators do know the exact bullet type used and the brand(s) of ammunition. This informationwould be revealed by an examination of the recovered bullets or bullet fragments and the cartridge casing(s). If you don't knowabout these things; the bullet leaves the gun but the cartridgecasing either stays inside the gun (with a bolt-action rifle) or is ejected several feet or so away from the firearm(with a semi-auto firearm). The .223 bullet is very light (equivalent in weight to about 1 1/2 dimes) and very fast. The high velocity allows for easy aiming as the bullet trajectory isrelatively flat. The low mass of the bullet provides a light recoil which makes a .223 rifle easy to shoot accurately.

We apparently don't yet know the type of weapon used. The report about the "AK-74" turned out to be phony. There are many weapons which will fire the .223 cartridge and within those weapons, there are many variants which may use the same or similar internal parts. I believe the investigators do have an idea of the actual weapon used -- I don't know why this information is not being released. There may be a good reason but after hearing ATF official Michael R. Bouchard stating that they are looking for any weapon "in the 22 caliber family . . . " He continued to describe this "family" as including ".221, .222 and .223 calibers." This is a very strange statement -- particularly when made by someone expected to have adequate technical knowledge to know the differences among those very different calibers. The empty cartridge case(s) currently in police custody should show conclusively which type of ammunition was used (see Page 2). It seems to me that to talk about .221 and 222 calibers, he is further confusing things -- as those cartridges are NOT the same as 223 and they cannot be fired in a .223 weapon. I suspect that ATF Agent Bouchard was chosen to speak publicly at the press conference because of his rank -- not because of his technical knowledge of ballistics.

Most of the .223 firearms available are rifles but there are relatively uncommon handguns which fire the same cartridge. These "XP" or "Contender" handguns are highly accurate and areusually equipped with scopes for long-range target shooting. Such a firearm would be very "practical" for shooting from inside a car.

On the Fox Show: On The Record with Greta Van Susteren (21 Oct), Pat Wingert of Newsweek demonstrates a new low in technical ignorance (Why are reporters interviewed about technical matters anyway?)

Wingert claimed that the sniper must be using a "flash suppressant." Greta, who obviously knows nothing about firearms but does not pretend to, asked the Newsweek reporter how much it would cost to buy a "flash suppressant" and a "silencer." The Newsweek reporter said, "You can buy them on the internet for less than $30." What she was referring to is a flash suppressor which are found on most assault rifles. A flash suppressor is not a "silencer" and only provides minimal diminution of the muzzle flash of a firearm. During daytime hours, a muzzle flash is almost invisible -- with or without a flash suppressor. At night, the muzzle flash is visible but it only lasts for a fraction of a second. It does not matter if the sniper's weapon is equipped with a flash suppressor or not: in the daytime a muzzle flash is not visible and at night it is visible -- with or without a flash suppressor. Silencers, by the way, are highly illegal and not obtainable on the internet.