Terrorism is an admission of failure, and a failed strategy.
I wouldn't expect anyone fanatical enough to try it, knowing that demonstrable 100% reality, to be circumspect in regard to weapons cleaning and maintenance, nor even basic familiarity with arms.
This is why you don't see drill instructors performing acts of political terror (acts of recruit training terror, OTOH, are part of the job), nor terrorists becoming drill instructors.
The mental discipline required for each job is pretty diametrically opposed.
Other than Aesop's babbling bullshit. Its simple. In Canada, Arora Col. and a dozen other "mass shootings" ALL the shooters who had weapons stoppages that they couldn't clear, and carried long guns, were armed with AR 15's. In cases where the shooter kept going they were armed with reliable weapons like the AKM (Paris France, Stockton Calif.) Or shotguns. The AR just sucks. That's why professional terrorists in the middle east and Europe won't use them.
First, they don’t train in a realistic environment. They shoot at targets, but don’t train for adrenaline and noise and frankly, their twisted excitement. Notice how many of the malfunctions are things like stovepipe jams (which is usually limp wristing, not an equipment failure.
I think Phelps is on the right path, but there's at least one additional factor at work: most of these terrorists and other mass shooters get their understanding of guns from mass-media entertainment. Guns in movies and TV shows never, ever malfunction or run out of ammo unless it's important to the plot. And the hero can dodge and weave his way between the enemy bullets, while his own shots never miss. And any hit on a bad guy is lethal, but any hit on the hero is merely a flesh wound. And.... you get the idea. The idea that guns need maintenance is probably completely foreign to them.
Also worth remembering is that guns are machines, and machines malfunction. It's in their nature. Even well-kept guns will occasionally malfunction. By the laws of probability, it's inevitable that some of those malfunctions will take place during mass shootings.
And one more thing: you wrote, "I can see some nutcase not taking care of tools, but you'd think a terrorist would want to make sure they worked."
Among the traits shared by terrorists in general is this: they're STUPID. Consider all the times you've seen video of terrorist gunmen riding pickup trucks with light machine guns mounted in the bed -- they really think they can fight armored vehicles and even aircraft that way, like the prologue in "Terminator 2"!
Actually, it's not the "mission" of Terrorists to fight APCs, or any armored vehicles. Their job description is to invoke terror on the civilian population; their targets are soft bodies.
A high body count of civilians serves to transmit their message, which is that the Government cannot protect them from people who are willing to sacrifice themselves to advance the undermining of government.
They strike randomly, use "irregular" weapons and methods, and expect the others of their movement to take over when they are inevitably killed by government troops (if ever).
Their goal is solely to portray the established leadership as ineffective and inconsequential. They expect to die in this effort, and so they focus their activities on mass annihilation rather than on self-protection.
Organized governments which do not support their goals are of no consequence to Terrorists; they consider themselves to the the "only ones" who are wiling to die for their cause, and they accept their deaths with confidence that they will be rewarded in heaven.
You can beat politics, but you can't beat religious fervor for creating more jihadists.
Too much Science Fiction in the world: "You Will Be Assimilated; Resistance Is Futile!"
The idiots actually believe this. They WANT to die!
5 comments:
Terrorism is an admission of failure, and a failed strategy.
I wouldn't expect anyone fanatical enough to try it, knowing that demonstrable 100% reality, to be circumspect in regard to weapons cleaning and maintenance, nor even basic familiarity with arms.
This is why you don't see drill instructors performing acts of political terror (acts of recruit training terror, OTOH, are part of the job), nor terrorists becoming drill instructors.
The mental discipline required for each job is pretty diametrically opposed.
Other than Aesop's babbling bullshit. Its simple. In Canada, Arora Col. and a dozen other "mass shootings" ALL the shooters who had weapons stoppages that they couldn't clear, and carried long guns, were armed with AR 15's. In cases where the shooter kept going they were armed with reliable weapons like the AKM (Paris France, Stockton Calif.) Or shotguns. The AR just sucks. That's why professional terrorists in the middle east and Europe won't use them.
First, they don’t train in a realistic environment. They shoot at targets, but don’t train for adrenaline and noise and frankly, their twisted excitement. Notice how many of the malfunctions are things like stovepipe jams (which is usually limp wristing, not an equipment failure.
Second, they don’t train malfunction drills.
Finally, God is against them.
I think Phelps is on the right path, but there's at least one additional factor at work: most of these terrorists and other mass shooters get their understanding of guns from mass-media entertainment. Guns in movies and TV shows never, ever malfunction or run out of ammo unless it's important to the plot. And the hero can dodge and weave his way between the enemy bullets, while his own shots never miss. And any hit on a bad guy is lethal, but any hit on the hero is merely a flesh wound. And.... you get the idea. The idea that guns need maintenance is probably completely foreign to them.
Also worth remembering is that guns are machines, and machines malfunction. It's in their nature. Even well-kept guns will occasionally malfunction. By the laws of probability, it's inevitable that some of those malfunctions will take place during mass shootings.
And one more thing: you wrote, "I can see some nutcase not taking care of tools, but you'd think a terrorist would want to make sure they worked."
Among the traits shared by terrorists in general is this: they're STUPID. Consider all the times you've seen video of terrorist gunmen riding pickup trucks with light machine guns mounted in the bed -- they really think they can fight armored vehicles and even aircraft that way, like the prologue in "Terminator 2"!
Actually, it's not the "mission" of Terrorists to fight APCs, or any armored vehicles. Their job description is to invoke terror on the civilian population; their targets are soft bodies.
A high body count of civilians serves to transmit their message, which is that the Government cannot protect them from people who are willing to sacrifice themselves to advance the undermining of government.
They strike randomly, use "irregular" weapons and methods, and expect the others of their movement to take over when they are inevitably killed by government troops (if ever).
Their goal is solely to portray the established leadership as ineffective and inconsequential. They expect to die in this effort, and so they focus their activities on mass annihilation rather than on self-protection.
Organized governments which do not support their goals are of no consequence to Terrorists; they consider themselves to the the "only ones" who are wiling to die for their cause, and they accept their deaths with confidence that they will be rewarded in heaven.
You can beat politics, but you can't beat religious fervor for creating more jihadists.
Too much Science Fiction in the world: "You Will Be Assimilated; Resistance Is Futile!"
The idiots actually believe this. They WANT to die!
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