
Tennessee’s new official state rifle is .50 caliber - bootload
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/26/tennessees-new-official-state-rifle-is-so-powerful-it-can-destroy-commercial-aircraft/
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masonic
Typical falsehood-ridden (not just spun) WP article on firearms.

Errata:

1) "In the 1993 gun battle at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Tex., for
instance, the cultists "fired a .50 caliber semiautomatic rifle at agents
attempting to execute a search warrant," according to a GAO report."

Well, that's what a 1999 (6 years after the fact) said in passing, but its
only attribution is "according to ATF". In fact, no .50 caliber bullets or
damage thereof was ever found or entered into evidence.

2) "In 2013, a suspect in a police standoff in Fond du Lac, Wis., fired
several .50 caliber rounds during the incident, prompting police to call in a
BearCat armored vehicle."

Outright fabrication. Not only did the police _not_ claim that the .50 caliber
was fired at any officer, but Rogler was _not even charged with a gun crime of
any kind_.

3) "Overall, the gun safety group Violence Policy Center has identified at
least 46 instances of .50 caliber guns being used in criminal activity."

Outright fabrication. There has been exactly _one_ criminal use of a .50
caliber rifle (Adam Wickizer, 2013) among all of the crimes in that list. That
VPC document is so sloppy, they keep referring to "50 caliber" rather than .50
caliber. (50 caliber would be a _4-foot-diameter_ projectile)

