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Why was a 33 year old man running around the streets of Jamaica, Queens, firing a machine gun on Monday? To settle a beef with his sister's ex, of course. Patrick Ledger was unable to find his sister's ex, though, so he started firing the weapon around 179th Street and Hillside Avenue. After many 911 calls, the police found Ledger and shot him in the eye when he refused to put down the gun. The NYPD says that they haven't seen that kind of semi-automatic gun for a decade (Commissioner Ray Kelly said "street sweeper" type weapons were more common in the mid 1990s). WCBS 2 pointed out that these kinds of guns have been recently reclassified by the government as "simple handguns."
Ledger was charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. He is in serious condition at Mary Immaculate Hospital.
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Thank You Bush Administration!
Simple Handguns my ass
"simple handguns"?
...
Why do I imagine him screaming "I am a Jedi!" as he ran around popping off shots?
but but but... anti-Constitutional gun laws keep guns out of criminal hands, I thought?
We obviously need more laws.
Correct me if I'm wrong but machine guns have been illegal since the 1920s. I think that this gun just happens to have a huge 30 bullet clip. In some instances it may be possible to turn a semi-automatic into a fully automatic (illegal) gun but I don't know if it's possible with this particular model.
"anti-Constitutional"? not getting into the part where that's the wrong term, we'll focus solely on the term "a well regulated militia" which is used to start off the 2nd Amendment to the Consitution. Stop hiding behind the right "to keep and bear arms" and look at the whole sentence.
The gangbangers are a well-regulated militia. Hell, the Latin Kings march in parades and run for public office.
If karma doesn't intervene and this guy lives, his bullet-spraying activities have shown that his society membership card should be permanently revoked.
I think jmchez is right, I recall Kelly mentioning this was a SEMI AUTOMATIC weapon at the press conference.
I'm no gun nut, but if you can legally have a semi automatic pistol that looks like a normal pistol, why can't you have one that looks like a badass machine pistol? As long as it all shoots the same stuff at the same rate, I don't see the difference. The silencer, on the other hand, is a bit over the line...
we'll focus solely on the term "a well regulated militia" which is used to start off the 2nd Amendment to the Consitution. Stop hiding behind the right "to keep and bear arms" and look at the whole sentence.
You're fine with only criminals and cops having weapons. Good for you. I'd rather the ability to protect myself from a weapon firing lunatic instead of waiting for the NYPD to show up. I also don't feel like a police officer is somehow more responsible with a weapon than I am. You're willing to let the state protect you... I'm forced into it.
If you'd prefer I use "Unconstitutional," I will. The "read the whole sentence" argument is weak, at best and flat-out wrong, at worst. There's a reason the text reads "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" and not "the right of the state's militia to keep and bear arms."
There is no difference, just cosmetic features. Still shoots one bullet at a time.
Did anyone confirm the weapon actually had a working Suppressor? Or is it just a muzzle flash hidder?
no reason for anyone, anywhere, anytime, to have a gun.
Those of you who are close to 30 may remember when Nike Air Jordans firts came out...
The first kid I knew who had them was Jon W. He kept them in the shoebox and would not wear them to school at firts cause 'you're gonna ruin em'.
The first kid I saw wear them to school was Kevin T. Billy Z. purposefully scuffed them that day and there was a big to-do with the principal, teacher and both parents and such.
IF
Kevin T = Patrick Ledger
AND
Billy Z. = NYPD
WHERE ARE ALL THE
Jon W's
?
I am absolutely not okay with criminals having guns, and it's insulting when people use that sort of an argument. We need to enforce the laws on the books, develop stricter ones and take a long, hard look at why we have so much gun crime in our country when other countries with similar economic and political make-ups don't (and if you look, they tend to have much, much stricter gun control). I don't believe a full out ban on civilians having guns is the answer, either.
As for trusting the NYPD with a gun more than you, to be blunt, yes. I know that they're trained; I don't know that you are. Yes, they screw up and probably need more extensive training than they receive, and maybe you're a weapons expert; perhaps extensive testing in order to get a gun license is necessary. I don't have all the answers, and neither do you.
nick, in ny city (if not state) a firearm can only have a 10 round magazine. so even though the weapon was just a .45 auto, the fact that it had a 30 round magazine made it illegal (and probably that it 'looked more scary' to the less educated,) here.
for a comparison, law enforcement handguns have 15 round magazines.
ace - you're still not helpful.
The gun trade is much like the drug trade . As long as their are those who want it , There will be a market for them . The guntrade will never stop as long as the gun shops down south continue to sell recklessly . The Bloomberg Administration has tried to sue these shops over the years and have been brushed aside by the judges in these southern states . There attitude is if you can't control your people then why should we ! I'm all for the right to arm yourself and all, It's the illegal trade of these guns that drives me up a wall !
The real question is: why do other countries not have these problems?
If it's human nature to crave guns (like drugs), why are there not more gun-related deaths in foreign major cities?