The AK47 is described in the Media as having a scope. I am curious a the AK47s I a familiar with do not have attachment points for such a piece of equipment. I suspect (honestly) that the weapon in question is an SVC (soviet era "Dragunov" sniper rifle). Anyone seen a picture of the weapon in question yet?

It is curious that we have had two assassination attempts on Trump, but none on Kamala. The reported assassin on Biden was the same individual who was investigated for threatening Obama, but he was killed in his home rather than attempting to actually kill Biden.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 16, 2024 - 02:07 pm: Edit

Photo was a commercial AK47 clone, most of which have attachment points for aftermarket doodads. An SVD sniper rifle would be much longer.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, September 16, 2024 - 02:52 pm: Edit

The general consensus on the AK 47 (both legitimate and clones) holds that the weapon is less accurate at longer ranges, with most favorable comments from those people posting opinions on the internet, is that close range is preferred.

Is there any truth to this? Or is it just useless gossip?

I do not have an opinion either way, just my unsubstantiated opinion, the choice of a AK47 for a target 400 yards (or possibly farther) seems like a poor choice.

Either it was opportunity as that it was available, or the person did not have the knowledge to make a better choice.

Either way, something smells bad about this, as in something doesn’t seem right.

Edited for clarity.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, September 16, 2024 - 03:05 pm: Edit

Florida Governor Ron Desantis just announced that the State of Florida will investigate the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump.

The key point I got listening to the news byte, was Gov. Desantis thinks that the same Federal agency that investigated the crime now being prosecuted by the Justice Department of Former President Trump has a fundamental conflict of interest in investigating any additional crimes.

He did not specify the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), but given the accusations of FBI agents planting false documents at Trumps home, it seems reasonable to exclude the FBI from this investigation.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Monday, September 16, 2024 - 03:56 pm: Edit

A failed assassination attempt that allows the assassin inside the middle perimeter is not to be praised as a success. When senior management fails to provide adequate protection in the form of a short-manned, second-string JV team, then this starts to look like LIHOP (let it happen on purpose).

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, September 16, 2024 - 04:00 pm: Edit

For what it is worth, I shot well with an AK47 clone during weapon familiarization. However, my uncle commented that the weapon was not asa accurate as an M16 have fired both. Father comment, it matters I think if the AK in question is original soviet manufacture or recent U.S. manufacture. The latter tends to greater accuracy (Although I find a Rumanian clone if memory serves).

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Monday, September 16, 2024 - 04:04 pm: Edit

Story is, shooter in position at distant Hole, waiting for Trump to enter the kill zone...
Agent either just noticed the rifle or the shooter made some movement which got him located....

Seen both M1s and SKS' with add on Rails mounted for scopes etc... No reason an AK couldn't be....

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 16, 2024 - 04:08 pm: Edit

I have fired Russian, Romanian, Chinese, and American clones of the general AK47 design and found all of them less accurate than the M16A1 I carried in the Army. That said, I would prefer to fire at 150 rather than 500 meters. Slow fire, three seconds between shots, really improved my chances of hitting something that wasn’t trying to hide.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 12:41 am: Edit

The Secret Service started as the Treasury Department’s special police to fight counterfeiting. It got Presidential protection as a side job. Since then, they decided to also cover computer crime. There have been a lot of local and state police agencies (and the FBI) which do not like the Secret Service trying to horn in on local crime investigations.

It would seem that Congress needs to step in, separate the two functions, and create a Protection Service to handle that and then decide just what part of the financial investigation stuff they really need to be doing.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 12:49 am: Edit

Yes, the force of the recoil goes straight into the should with stoners design. That, and less recoil due to smaller caliber, reduce climb as I understands it.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 01:26 am: Edit

The inaccuracy of the AK series is in the looser tolerances of the manufacturing.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 07:23 am: Edit

And GOVERNMENT built commie AKs have loose tolerances on purpose. Better to resist jamming due to crud.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 07:55 am: Edit

Then they made a huge mistake!
Have you seen the mud tests series on the "InRangeTV" YouTube channel?
The AK fail, but the Ar15 doesn't care even getting Arizona mud literally poured into open dust cover hole!!!

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 09:16 am: Edit

Questions
How did Mr Routh get the weapon?
When did Mr Routh fly from his home in Hawaii to Florida?
Did he bring the rifle with him? How?
Who told Mr Routh about that particular assassination venue?
Since paparazzi used that same area, why wasn’t it searched?
Was Mr Routh part of something bigger?
Who provided support, advice, intelligence to Mr Routh?

By Michael F Guntly (Ares) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 09:53 am: Edit

Who told Mr Routh about that particular assassination venue?
Who provided ...., intelligence to Mr Routh?

The first thought I had after hearing (NBC News) this golf outing was not listed on Trump's agenda....

Routh accesses Trump's agenda, or just hears Trump has nothing planned (rallies, interviews, etc) for that day and he will be in Florida.
Trump's primary hobby is golf, which he more likely than not would do in his free time.
When staying in Florida, he usually golfs at his place.
So he stakes out that location, and he guessed correctly. Trump showed up.

As to the other questions, I have no guess.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 10:09 am: Edit

How many people in this topic, given the thought exercise of conducting an assassination, knew or could infer that Trump would be at that particular golf course on that particular day. He owns several golf courses and doesn’t always go to any particular one.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 10:11 am: Edit

Florida Will conduct its own prosecution and investigation of Mr Routh for attempted murder. The governor says he does not trust the agencies prosecuting Trump to investigate this crime. Florida can put Routh in prison for life while the Feds can only get him for a few years.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 10:37 am: Edit

"Exploding pagers injure hundreds in Lebanon, health minister says
Hundreds of people were injured across Lebanon when their pagers exploded earlier today, health minister Firass Abiad has said, with a source close to Hezbollah telling Agence France-Presse (AFP) its members were targeted. No deaths have been reported.

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those who were injured by the explosions, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported "

The Israelis killed a bombmaker this way once.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 10:39 am: Edit

Just the thing to take out a leadership/command structure before an attack.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 11:11 am: Edit

Regarding the Trump assassination attempt, I saw a YouTube video claiming the press has gotten it wrong and that the weapon in question was actually an SKS, not any type of AK. The claim in the video is that the would-be shooter had modified an SKS (which normally has a fixed magazine with a capacity (I think) of 10 rounds), to use a detachable 30 round magazine; and that this confused journalists whose firearms knowledge was limited.

The Wikipedia article on "Trump International Golf Club shooting" also now lists "SKS-style rifle" as the weapon used.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 12:05 pm: Edit

Used to be that Trump cleared the course when he was due to play....
Would guess that SS goes in and cancels tee times...
Can only assume that news would get around....

Time and circumstances can affect any of what I mention....

Some will say that isn't a good look...
Remember a previous President or his detail kicked a wedding party out of the Golf Resort one time.....
Trump actually crashed (even paid for it) one, don't recall if it was in one of his hotels or a golf resort....

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 02:17 pm: Edit

Almost 3.000 wounded by exploding pagers in Lebanon!
"Lebanon’s health minister, Firass Abiad, said the blasts on Tuesday killed a 10-year-old girl, among others. “About 2,750 people were injured ... more than 200 of them critically,” with injuries mostly reported to the face, hands and stomach, Abiad told a press conference."

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 03:05 pm: Edit

Apparently, someone inserted a virus into the server causing the lithium batteries to overheat, causing an explosion. All of the pagers belonged to members of Hezbollah, and were used for internal communications, warnings of Israeli strikes, and attack orders.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 05:19 pm: Edit

Another new wrinkle in our modern world.

Can’t even trust a cell phone or a pager?

During the middle ages, powerful leaders, high level church and islamic leaders (both secular and religious) in the West and the East used food tasters and secretaries to isolate key people from danger.

Perhaps the stories about osama bin ladin were just a foretaste of things to come? Instead of a world renowned terrorist hiding in a cave afraid of any technology.

There just might be a renewed interest among certain people or groups in analogue phones servied by old fashoined land lines.

New high pay jobs, personal couriers and stenographers to record data and conversations that cant be tampered with online?

What a world we live in.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 05:40 pm: Edit

I remember an incident back during the Obama administration when President Obama and another world leader were giving a joint speech. There was a third person on stage with the two world leaders, there to show what the two were saying in sign language. Turns out the "Signer" was not vetted by the security details for either world leader and was a nutcase, but most fortunately a harmless one.

Didn't know sign language either; he just went through a series of motions that looked vaguely like it to people who don't sign.

The "Whacko, Right-Wing Talk Radio" (that I freely admit to listening to quite a lot) universally condemned the lapse of security for President Obama; NO President (or former President) should EVER be put in a situation where a potential threat should be allowed that close to him/her.

Anyone else remember that event?