“There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.” —Frank Zappa
Yeah! not so much…Forgive my side-splitting laughter, but this is one of those, “gotcha moments” when the Lame Stream Liberal Hoplophobic Media gets sucked right in and then, “Punked.”…But one guy is not laughing because back in the hood, a Military collector who likely paid 300 bucks apiece for the tubes is now missing pieces of his Militaria collection; All so that Junior could run down and cash them in for a government-issued gift card. Just that thought alone cracks me up.
The LAPD was duped! Anybody can buy these on E-bay and fifty other places on the internet! (note to self: purchase 3″ PVC piping, paint Olive drab for next buy-back.)
So, what exactly was turned in? Based on what I saw in the photo, they appeared to be, (1) a Bophors Dynamics AT-4, 84 mm Anti-armor Weapons Tube; and, (2) an M72 Nammo-Talley 66 mm Light Anti-Tank Weapons Tube. (the links above are items that are, for sale, or recently sold)
But, not to be denied, this made “hellaciously” great press! would you not agree? NBC News was just all over it! And, not just them…look at the headlines below!
Gun buyback program in Los Angles takes 2,000 weapons off the streets – including two rocket propelled grenade launchers —New York Daily News
“Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launchers” says, NYDN…Dumbasses…
Cops get two rocket launchers in LAPD gun buyback: Two rocket launchers are officially off the streets of Los Angeles. —UPI.com
Laughing out Loud, here….Schmucks…
Launchers turned in to LAPD were from military —Army Times
Gosh! Gee, golly willikers! You don’t say? from the Military? (glad I joined the USMC)
The Next headline just made me proud of being a veteran of my beloved United States Marine Corps. Paul Szoldra, (a brother former Marine Infantryman, I might add) gets a HUGE high five from Granite Grok.
His headline in BusinessInsider.com: “The LAPD got punked and bought back rocket launchers that literally do nothing.”
And, Paul picked up far more detail than I noticed. Szoldra writes,
The problem is that it’s not a rocket launcher. It doesn’t launch rockets. It is a field handling trainer, as illustrated by the band around it along with “TRAINER” emblazoned across the side. Trainer AT-4s are non-functioning props, used to show soldiers how the weapon operates minus the big boom.
It is, quite literally, a long, green fiberglass tube that does nothing.
Instead of a weapon, it’s a paperweight the Los Angeles Police Department aquired in an event staffed with public employees. The LAPD, and much of the media, kind of got punked
Hoplophobia and ignorance typically breed PC charlatanry.Ergo, the city of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles decided to have their gun buy-back program early this year in the wake of the Newtown Massacre. On December 26, according to the LAPDBLOG.org, 2,037 Firearms were, “bought back.” (bought back from where?)
The total breakdown is as follows:
- 901 handguns
- 698 Rifles
- 363 Shotguns
- 75 “Assault Weapons” (a/k/a semi-automatic firearms classified as such based on their appearance.)
- and two “Rocket Launchers”(not).
The LAPD Blog went on to say,
“An initiative of the Mayor’s Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) Office, the Gun Buyback rewards the voluntary surrender of firearms while engaging the community towards a common goal of reducing gun violence.”
Anyhow, now that I’ve had my fun with the whole “Rocket Launcher” debacle, down to business with the small arms (Military term for hand held or shoulder fired arms, to you in the Lame Stream Hoplophobe media).
So the LAPD collected up 901 handguns. At some point will there be a breakdown of guns such as autos and revolvers? calibers and type? age? This is relevant in the macro scheme of the gun control arena.
And of the 901 handguns, how many were found to be stolen? missing? used in crimes? Most curious to me is the rifles and shotguns action types (single action, bolt action, semi-auto, lever, break?) I would lay odds most were crappy old guns of little value. 75 “Assault Weapons.” Not very many if you ask me.
If the goal is to reduce gun violence by, “Getting Guns off the Street,” I question the efficacy of such programs if data is not being kept on the particular guns. Inversely, perhaps the data is being kept, just not released. How is the public to know the effectiveness of a gun buy-back program?
I hypothesize these buy-back programs produce next to nothing in results, other than to socially condition sheeple to hand over guns to the government in exchange for cash. Those of us who are responsible citizens that own guns, know the value of the guns we own. $100 to $200 is not even half the value of modern firearms. A police source told the New York Sun, Stolen guns have an average street value of $300-400, and in the wake of the current anti-gun campaign, values increase. So why turn them in for $100-200 gift card when more money can be made selling it on the street?
Thankfully, here in the Granite State, law prohibits these nonsense Gun Buy-Back programs. Buy Back programs are yet another example of symbolism over substance. Do you honestly think the gangstahs, thugs and criminals in LA turned in guns?