Strange Intersection

[Griff]

Two NY Times stories converged for me this morning. The first is an op ed by Mo Dowd about the 11 victims of the nut sniper. The second is the story of 11 apparent illegal aliens from Mexico who died in a sealed rail car. Both horrible stories effecting real people. The sniper wants to be a media event and is. The illegals wanted to slip in under the authorities radar and died in obscurity. It seems like we're a little over the top in our focus on the sniper story vs other events. I understand the Mexicans chose the dangerous route and the sniper victims we're just randomly targeted but I wonder about our sense of proportion.

[MaggieL]

"News appeal" is a strange thing. The DC sniper provides an ongoing drama. Nobody seems to have paid much attention to the deaths from the Finnish bombing, even wthough the body count was comperable.

[Tobiasly]

I just wish they'd quit calling him a sniper. Any idiot can hit a target from 150 yards. All it's doing is feeding his ego.

[Cam]

Have you ever tried to shoot something from 150 yards? It's not that easy. The shooter has hit everyone with 1 bullet. That is more impress then you think. Not that I'm impressed I think he's a fucking nut job but you get my meaning.

[Nic Name]

Main Entry: snipe
Function: intransitive verb
Date: 1832
Inflected Form(s): sniped; snip.ing
1 : to shoot at exposed individuals (as of an enemy's forces) from a usually concealed point of vantage

In the meaning of the word, he is a sniper. Accuracy or skill at shooting are not in the definition. He'd still be a sniper if he had to take five shots at each victim.

The shame in using the word sniper in the media is that it takes the place of the more dissuasive word, murderer, which should be attributed to the shooter in response to every attack.

The desciption focuses on the shooting and the shooter and dehumanized the murder victims, who becomes targets of a sniper rather than victims of a murderer.

I <b>have</b> shot at people from 150 yards, and it ain't that hard to put a bullet in their chest, or their stomach, or even their head - especially if they're sitting on a bench reading a book.

I also know the escape routes in and around the DC area and have very easily gotten home without getting stuck in those traffic jams.

Did you know that you can buy .223 ammunition at the Fair Lakes Wal-Mart?

Anyway... I have to get up early tomorrow to take the van into the shop - fuckin' tail light is busted again. So I'mma hit the bed. Check you fools later.

(In all seriousness, I used to be able to consistently hit a soda can at 150 yards with a .22 Marlin sans scope. That was years ago, when I could still see with my dominant eye, and I haven't shot since the accident, since I would have to basically re-learn how to hold a rifle. The point is that if a 14 year old can hit such a small target with a decent gun and decent ammunition, imagine what any semi-accomplished shooter could do with a scope, rangefinder, high-quality rounds and a decent accuracy rifle. Putting a bullet through a cantelope-sized object at 150 yards would be almost as easy as thinking about doing so.)

[Undertoad]

"Dave? Yeah, we knew 'im. Kinda anti-social. He played a lot of violent video games, and listened to loud, rigid industrial heavy metal. He even told us about recent diet changes. He swore a lot and used violent imagery as well. In retrospect, we should have realized. All the signs were there."

[juju]

Holy shit -- dave's a psycho!

[Griff]

Originally posted by dave
(In all seriousness, I used to be able to consistently hit a soda can at 150 yards with a .22 Marlin sans scope. That was years ago, when I could still see with my dominant eye, and I haven't shot since the accident, since I would have to basically re-learn how to hold a rifle. The point is that if a 14 year old can hit such a small target with a decent gun and decent ammunition, imagine what any semi-accomplished shooter could do with a scope, rangefinder, high-quality rounds and a decent accuracy rifle. Putting a bullet through a cantelope-sized object at 150 yards would be almost as easy as thinking about doing so.)

Yah, it would be doable with my old deer rifle so if you switch to a varmit round like the .223 it would be a piece of cake, except for the killing another human being part. Speaking of marksmanship, I was talking with another Dad at a blood drive last night. He mentioned that his son got his first deer with a bow. Apparently the kid is an absolute genius with a bow. He was showing off for his Dad the other day and he hit a garden hose washer at 25 yards...twice.

I was always pretty good with a bow (that's what I really enjoyed, even over firearms). But, again, after the accident, I would totally have to re-learn how to shoot. And I can't imagine drawing a bow with my left arm.

There was this one guy that could hit a LifeSaver&trade; tossed up into the air. Consistently. He said he learned to shoot by sitting in a dark room with a bow, arrows and a lit candle. He would try to put the candle out.

(I saw that on TV, not in real life)

[ Edit - it's &amp;trade, not &trademark ]

[Tobiasly]

Originally posted by Cam
Have you ever tried to shoot something from 150 yards? It's not that easy.

Sure it is, once you know the basic skills.

A reporter on CNN was interviewing a guy who teaches long-distance marksmanship. As an example, he gave the reporter, who had never held a firearm in his life, a rifle and had him shoot a target at 150 yards. He hit it almost center-mass.

He prolly couldn't do so consistently, but anyone who hunts even as a hobby or has learned basic shooting techniques could do so rather easily.

[Tobiasly]

Originally posted by Nic Name
In the meaning of the word, he is a sniper. Accuracy or skill at shooting are not in the definition. He'd still be a sniper if he had to take five shots at each victim.

Wow Nic, you so clever. You've nailed the denotation of <I>sniper</I> perfectly.

However, the word has a completely different connotation which embodies much more skill and a more elite status. Maggie's link from the other thread sums it up pretty well. http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/....ap/index.html

[russotto]

I can put a .22 through the HOLE in a lifesaver that I toss up in the air. I can prove it. Meet me at the range. I'll toss a lifesaver up in the air and fire a .22 at it. I guarantee you it will come down untouched by the bullet :-)

This guy was shooting practice-tipped arrows, and they slow-mo'd it - you could see the arrow just bust the LifeSaver&trade; to all hell. It was truly quite impressive.