Things that make you go hmmmm…
DES MOINES, Iowa —Some three dozen Iowa park rangers are now carrying semi-automatic weapons. The Department of Natural Resources recently paid $1,400 for each gun. They are civilian versions of M-16 rifles. Iowa park rangers are certified peace officers like police, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers.
“There’s always that possibility in the law enforcement world. It is going to be needed or it will be needed. Now that I’m issued the rifle, I’m glad it is something else that I have the ability to use,” said Carly Fairly, a Pleasant Creek Park ranger.The rangers said the guns will help them assist other departments.
All rangers must complete three days of training at a shooting range.
SquatchFreeZone
hmmmm…
Milton L
Boys with toys: A useless waste of money.
David D
Until some nut goes on a shooting rampage… And then the public thinks it’s a good idea to protect them… Not so useless then
mescha m
I’m a cave girl. Would an M-16 take down a Sasquatch?
Jeffrey H
Mescha: If your lucky then it might take down one but it’s the others the other ones it might not help with since Sasquatches almost never travel alone. In a few of the back episodes they talk about such a thing. I would truly hate to be the one who demonstrates what it takes to bring a Sasquatch down! Good question!
Rob C
About time!!!
Andy G
Mescha has a good point. A .223 AR15 would be next to useless against a Squatch, even in semi auto. You just would not do enough damage even in the right place. Don’t want to start a full discussion on this again, but you would need way more. If you were arming up in case of Squatch you would go much bigger. Maybe shotgun with slug or at least 30-06, but probably bigger still.
Dave T
All forms of law enforcement are going to military grade firearms. I don’t think this has anything to do with getting more fire power to battle squatches. Dealing with armed criminals is more likely than dealing with an angry squatch and law enforcement never wants to be outgunned.
Mary W
Lot of pot grown in the parks . Sooo u never know . Better to have and not need than need and not have
Tracy A
Reading American Sniper (again) 223 in wooded (urban) env. not big enough they wood be better off w AK’s.
Jeffrey H
At least a .308 (AR-10) or as someone else mention a .30-.06. which is a great caliber but you would need a high compacity magazine that you wouldn’t find with the .30-.06., unless you special ordered it. I believe in one episode a guy killed one BF with 20 rounds of .22L when he was getting charged by a BF. Either that’s B.S. or God was behind him!! Got to hand it to Mescha m, she brought up a great topic for discussion on what would it take to protect ourselves in the woods. I guess some sweet talkin and a few candy bars would work best in the long run and then some prayer on top of that wouldn’t hurt!
Rob K
any Certified LEO or Ranger should be provided with the tools of the job.
Service Pistol
Shotgun
Rifle
nothing interesting about this at all.
greg R
This is just more of the government arming our “peace officers” like military units like the military vehicles and equipment most police depths have now for some reason.
rick b
The AR With ss109 ammo Would Be Enough To Bring Them Down.
joe r
I know a great deal about guns and ammo, my dad was a certified instructor for the state police and was hired to train them so i was introduced at a very young age. Tracy A, you made a very good point, ak’s would be much better, it’s important to remember when it comes to stopping a large anything, for purposes here, a Sasquatch, it is better to be equipped with a large caliber revolver than a small caliber auto, i would take a well placed single shot with a .357 over a half a dozen hits with a .223 any day of the week.
Charles B
My uncle was a sheriff and a police chief in iowa, also the head of the LEA, and sheriff’s association. According to him iowa is going the way of Massachusetts and California in all of its population centers. Anti gun, anti hunting etc. The UN police from the new strong cities program must be well armed to control the public. Also a 223 will do me than a 357 on a large target because of much more velocity and energy, on a smaller target the reverse is true because the 223 will go on through.
Elise B
Seems like law enforcement agencies go in big for military surplus equipment that they are very likely never to need, but it probably is cool to drive around in that armored personnel carrier wearing your riot gear and night vision goggles.
But rifles don’t fall into that more extreme category. Plus, you know elephants just moved into Iowa from the jungles of Illinois
tom b
It really is all about bullet placement. I am an ex military police. And a M-16 would kill a squatch instantly if hit in the head. Might take a few more if shot in chest. The high velocity of a rifle bullet makes a big difference. There is a reason the M-16 is and has been the USA’s choice of a battle rifle for many years.
Kenneth M
I was suspicious when DS Arms had a government contract for .308 caliber PARA FAL type rifles for the US Parks Service – Why would they need 30 cal assault rifles ? Either bears are joining ISIS or Sasquatch patrols needed a heavy caliber assault rifle.
David H
Had fal – freedoms right arm !!! Big upgrade over 223 prarriedog round lol..
Robert P
When they told the Border Patrol in Texas to stand down a lot of MS13 came across . Our guys need the firepower.
Gail d
You never know what these government agencies are up to.
Stephen N
A semi-automatic weapon is not a M-16……………………………It*s a AR-15
Sean C
Well, if we are being technical, a semi-automatic version Armalite is an AR-15, that’s what the AR stands for, because Armalite was the original manufacturer of the design. They sold the rights to Colt. Produced by anyone else, the rifle is a clone, like a real 1911 is made by Colt, everyone else makes clones. I’m just saying, because you want to get technical, when most people know what is meant by what was stated above.
Chris
Robert V
Hello,
Kenneth makes a good point.
I think Wes should do a show on what it would take to kill a Sasquatch, LOL.
Before the first shut down, I was the one who asked why a hunter would be afraid to shoot a Sasquatch. I learned a lot about guns in that blog. This easily is a favorite topic. Smile.
Serious. I do wish someone who was in the military would come on the show and tell us how they “take care” of a Sasquatch problem.
Bob
Nathan E
Heh, more of that tendency of the present Administration handing out lots of paramilitary gear to all the Federal agencies. The freakin’ FDA has a SWAT team that could have taken down Bin Laden! Must be some scary dudes hiding in the wilds of Iowa, or maybe the White House learned there is a Tea Party office in Ames. 😛
The news story is gun knowledge ignorance on display again. “Civilian version of M-16”, what is that? What they SHOULD have said was “AR-15 semi-automatic rifles that resemble and M-16 except you can’t go full auto or mount a bayonet.” And at $1400 the government probably paid too much, unless they got the full slot-rails, folding stock, and other doodads added.
brad b
No wonder we have an 18 trillion dollar deficit the government is paying $1400 for most likely $900 AR’s.
And for those of you that would feel comfortable with a semi-auto .223/5.56 against a Sasquatch…well, good luck with that and make sure you keep your life insurance paid up. You can’t even hunt deer in many states with .223 because it isn’t potent enough. And the idea that you’re going to place multiple killing shots squeezing the trigger as fast as you can at a charging BF is pretty iffy. It would certainly be better than nothing but like any other big game better odds would be with a large caliber rifle doing maximum damage in one or two hits rather than trying to pepper the thing in semi-auto.
Trey
Mary W and Dave T nailed it. Theres always a chance of running into criminals in the national parks whether its pot growers protecting their stash or a wanted person trying to stay hid in the parks. They don’t wanna be out gunned and I don’t blame them they need to have superior firepower. It probably shoot a .223 bullet which in itself is not real big but you put this rifle with a 30 round clip and another partner with the same gun and now your talking about taking one down, sasquatch or armed criminal. Just a single round from this is probably not gonna do it unless you get a perfect shot but 30 of them will take almost anything down.
ohkyhiker
Lol I have wondered about this, I have an AR and wonder if the 62 grain light armor piercing steel core penetrator or the 55 grain polymer tip varmint round would be the better squatch round if I had to make that decision. We all can’t depend on 12 man kill teams armed with .50 cal’s hehe ????
But then again I really don’t want to find out ???? Not until I get a .44 desert eagle.????
Paul M
You can’t argue a AK. or dabate a 308. A 44 mag backup is good backup gun. Firepower. Don’t go into the woods without IT.
Sean C
A .223 is plenty capable of taking a deer. The reason it is illegal for hunting in so many states, probably has more to do with sloppy shooters, who think they know more about hunting than they actually do. Too many people claim to be hunters, when they actually sit on their asses all day in front of a feed site, waiting for a deer to come feed so they can shoot at it. That’s not how my grandfather taught me to hunt. There is no substitute for skill. I’m no expert, by any means, but just because something is a law, doesn’t reflect a calibers incompetence. That’s what I’m getting at, .223 round is a lot more competent than it gets credit for, usually by people who think they know something after reading a few articles. Stay safe, be familiar with what you have, and KNOW for yourself what your capabilities are. Don’t just go running out in the woods, using what other people tell you that you need, if you don’t KNOW, then you shouldn’t be going out there yet.
Chris
Ronnie R
I like this topic of conversation… All in all, no matter what you carry, if you are not trained to put steel on target, it’s not going to help you in any way except put a ringing in the squatch’s ears before it rips you a new one. I would also like to have Wes do something about the effects/results of actual engagements with a Sasquatch. Combat shooting in a stress environment is nothing like plinking cans out in the back yard.