If anybody locates any less biased reports concerning the man in Beaverton, Oregon who has been arrested for firearms violations please forward URLs to me...I'd really like to read something other than this poorly researched and obviously anti-gun piece.
Well, as someone who fully believes that the possession of these weapons is my Constitutional right...GOOD!! A .50 cal is a damned dangerous weapon and someone who is behaving in a careless or reckless manner with one SHOULD be punished.
Is it just me or do these people intentionally try to find the most arcane, outdated, and/or simply exaggerated information available. First, the .50 is not an "anti-aircraft" weapon...while it CAN be used in that capacity it is almost useless against modern military aircraft in the manner that the people who wrote this article claim it is used (see the picture in the linked article.) The .50 caliber round was originally developed to suppress armored vehicles during WWI and evolved into an anti-aircraft and aircraft mounted gun by WWII. While they were reasonably effective against the "low and slow" planes of that era, they are almost useless in a ground-deployed mode against most aircraft fielded today and are incapable of puncturing any formidable armor. They used mainly to suppress troops in fixed positions by defeating unarmored defenses such as walls, vehicles, and other objects and to incapacitate vehicles, machinery, and other ordnance.
As for their other stats: the "official" weight of the .50 caliber Browning style machinegun is listed as 84 pounds (according to manfacturers statements by General Dynamics and FN Herstal, so maybe they included a few full ammo cans in their figures), the firing rate can vary from the 400-550rpm they listed (M2 models) to over 1,400rpm (M3 models), and the phrase "accurately hitting a target 2,500 yards away" is simply bullshit. While one MAY be able to hit a target at that distance under optimum conditions and with a VERY specially outfitted gun (and almost CERTAINLY a bolt action sniper weapon and NOT an automatic)...it is simply absurd for them to imply that such a feat is not a extremely difficult and, without HIGHLY specialized equipment and training, damned near impossible is just inexcusable. Crimeny, at that distance you're going to probably have to compensate for visual distortion caused by air temperature difference and even for the coriolis effect...something that is RARELY done without highly specialized computing equipment for obvious reasons.
Interesting how they use the terms "machine guns and automatic weapons" so that they can cite a higher number. How about reporting how many weapons found were actually ILLEGAL for this man to own. At this point, as shoddy and biased as this story has been, I am curious as to whether or not ANY of the weapons actually were machineguns...since the media seems to think that ANY gun that looks like a M2HB .50 or an M-16 is a "machinegun". Semi-auto .50's are quite easy to come by and are relatively inexpensive...and frankly I suspect that's what this individual had...in fact, I doubt he had ANY full-auto weapons except maybe an illegally converted AK, SKS, or AR-15 since they are relatively easy to convert and much more likely to be done than a beltfed gun.
I'd suspect that the legally owned weapons in this bunch were the MAC-10 and at least one of the UZIs as they are by FAR less expensive than an AK (you could buy one of each for about the price of a single AK) and AK's are one of the more likely guns to find converted (although a converted UZI wouldn't surprise me either as the info is pretty readily available.) But the problem is that also stated that there was a .30 caliber beltfed "automatic" in addition to the "semiauto" .50 which throws the numbers all out of whack. If the machineguns included "several" AK-47s, UZIs (plural), and a MAC-10...the MINIMUM number that these weapons can add to is five (assuming each of the "severals" at the minimum number of two)...and yet they claim the .30 beltfed (my guess, a Browning 1919 since sideplates and drilling templates are common) to be "automatic" also which exceeds the number of "automatic" guns seized. Whatever happened to checking your sources and proofreading?
Of course, they also seized 110 marijuana plants and this guy was also distributing documentation on converting semi-auto weapons to full-auto. In other words, unlike those of us who go to great pains to obey the laws in our desire to pursue our chosen hobby...this individual was a criminal who was openly breaking the law. He should be punished...and punished severely...first criminal offense or not. The drug charges alone impose a minimum term of five years and the possession of an illegal machinegun SHOULD impose a mandatory ten year sentence. Good riddance is all I have to say...and to those who would point this out as yet more proof that guns are eeeeeviiiillll and should be banned I'd have to ask what exactly this deranged individual with obviously criminal intent has to do with honest, law abiding gun owners pursuing their passion?