McNulty's Query

Good morning.

The Editorial Board here at Raccoon Inc. would like to start today's post with a quote from the TV show "The Wire".  The Board has not watched the show yet, but would like to some day.  The Board knows it is a very good show and makes no excuses for not watching it except time constraints and would like to watch it right after the Board gets to...

...these clowns here.

At any rate, the quote goes something like this:

McNulty: Let me understand.  Every Friday night, you and your boys are shooting crap, right?  And every Friday night, Snot Boogie... he'd wait till there's cash on the ground and he'd grab it and run away?  You let him do that?

Kid: We'd catch him and beat his ass but ain't nobody ever go past that.

McNulty: I've gotta ask you: if every time Snot Boogie would grab the money and run away... why'd you even let him in the game?

Kid: What?

McNulty: Well, if every time, Snot Boogie stole the money, why'd you let him play?

Kid: Got to.  It's America, man.

The theme song to The Wire, "Way Down In The Hole" by Tom Waits, is quite good, too.  Each season has a different rendition of it: Five Blind Boys From Alabama, Waits himself, The Neville Bros., some local (Baltimore) teens for Season 4, and goold old Steve Earle.  So really, you may choose your favourite flavour.

Let this soak in a moment, the music and the quote.  As it does, please consider this all in the frame of reference of the Sutherland Springs, TX shooting.  Seems like ancient history now, but these things do tend to fade artificially fast.

The primary weapon used for the shooting was a... let's see... Ruger® AR-556® "Precision Rifle".  Here's a screenshot of the website for you.

Snazzy.  A "Precision" "sporting rifle".

The benefits of this weapon are listed on the manufacturer's website and are listed as follows:

- Ruger® Rapid Deploy folding rear sight provides windage adjustability, and pairs with the elevation adjustable front sight for a solid, reliable aiming system. The rear sight can be folded out of the way to make room for optics, but can be instantly redeployed if needed.

- Six-position telescoping M4-style buttstock and Mil-Spec buffer tube allow the rifle to be properly sized for different shooters, or varying levels of outerwear or defensive gear. (Model 8502 features a fixed stock.)

- Made from aerospace-grade 7075-T6 aluminum forging, the flattop upper receiver includes a forward assist, dust cover and brass deflector, and is Type III hard coat anodized for maximum durability.

- Bolt is machined from 9310 alloy steel and is shot peened and pressure (proof) tested to ensure strength, structural integrity and durability.

- Front sight post is elevation adjustable, and a front sight tool is included. The A2-style F-height allows co-witness with many optics.

- Patent pending Barrel Nut and Delta Ring are designed for one person handguard removal and installation. The design accepts most standard carbine length handguards. The barrel nut uses a standard wrench and can be swapped with a Mil-Spec barrel nut if desired.

- Milled gas block is located at a carbine-length (M4) position for improved balance and handling. Multiple attachment points include a QD socket and bayonet lug (excludes 8502), for many sling and accessory mounting options. Serrations on the angled face of the gas block provide a low-glare surface.

- Cold hammer-forged 4140 chrome-moly steel barrel with ultra-precise rifling provides exceptional accuracy, longevity and easy cleaning. The 1:8" twist rate stabilizes bullets from 35 to 77 grains, and the 5.56 NATO chamber allows the use of both 5.56 NATO and .223 Rem. Ammunition. M4 feed ramps provide improved operational reliability, and the matte black oxide finish reduces glare and provides corrosion resistance.

- Ergonomic pistol grip features an extended trigger reach for more precise trigger control.

- Chrome-plated bolt carrier inside diameter and chrome-plated gas key inside diameter provide exceptional resistance to hot gases. The gas key is staked so that it will not loosen after extensive firing. A matte black oxide finish on the exterior of the bolt carrier provides corrosion resistance.

- Single-stage trigger provides durable and reliable fire control. The enlarged trigger guard is designed to allow gloved shooting.

- Handguards are made from heat-resistant glass-filled nylon for shooting comfort and durability.

- Also includes: One, 30-round Magpul® PMAG®.

46 casualties, 26 dead - minimum, thanks to M4 feed ramps that provide improved operational reliability.

362 people in the town, 46 casualties.  Nearly one in eight of the town's residents were shot by a man with a sporting rifle that had a gas key that was staked so that it would not loosen after extensive firing, which is, I guess, important.

This is a gas key, I am told.

I have no idea what a gas key does.  Or feed ramps.  Or a NATO chamber.

But what about the victims that were cut down with the aid of their patent pending barrel nut?

This is a barrel nut, supposedly.

Well, CNN has many more resources at their disposal than we do here at Raccoon Inc., so I won't reinvent the wheel.  Here is a profile on each of the victims of the attack.  It's done very well, and it most certainly is not fake news.  It tells a lovely story and one that is worth reading.  Please take a moment and give it a good skim and see what a 30 round MAGPUL PMAG is good for.

Also made by MAGPUL is this drum magazine, which is very helpful when hunting deer.

Bluntly, there's nothing "sporting" about this weapon.  If so, what on earth is the sport?  Is it competitive cleaning?  I bet it's competitive cleaning, since its steel barrel with ultra-precise rifling provides exceptional accuracy, longevity and easy cleaning.  It's a weapon designed to competitively clean.  And also to kill things, a lot of things, quickly and accurately.  As we've seen, it works very well at what it sets out to do when in the right hands.  In America, you're free to have one, or more, or many, of these. (I know, I know, the shooter attempted to get one legally, but didn't succeed.  He got his gun elsewhere, illegally.  Semantics.)  The United States has a population of 323.1 million people.  How many guns do they have?

Nearly one per person.  Also many, many more mass shootings.

In fairness, I'm not American.  Close, but not quite.  I don't have access to these weapons, and golly gee, I don't feel that I've ever needed a six-position telescoping M4-style buttstock.  I'm just thinking that maybe this need, desire, compulsion to have weapons this deadly in practically anyone's hands may be artificial and may just be a function of the gun producers and lobbyists themselves rather than something that provides any sort of utility to anyone anywhere.  Just saying.

Let's go back to the beginning now.  Why do you let everyone have a gun if they're just going to go around killing one another?  It's America, man.  The occasional, now seemingly regular, slaughter is the price you pay for the freedom to possess multiple attachment points which include a QD socket and bayonet lug.  Not a fan of bayonet lugs?  That's fine, because Ruger® would like you to...

Good night.