Archive for July, 2011

Norway: Lessons from a Successful Lone Wolf Attacker

Norway: Lessons from a Successful Lone Wolf Attacker is republished with permission of STRATFOR.

By Scott Stewart

On the afternoon of July 22, a powerful explosion ripped through the streets of Oslo, Norway, as a large improvised explosive device (IED) in a rented van detonated between the government building housing the prime minister’s office and Norway’s Oil and Energy Department building. According to the diary of Anders Breivik, the man arrested in the case who has confessed to fabricating and placing the device, the van had been filled with 950 kilograms (about 2,100 pounds) of homemade ammonium nitrate-based explosives.

After lighting the fuse on his IED, Breivik left the scene in a rented car and traveled to the island of Utoya, located about 32 kilometers (20 miles) outside of Oslo. The island was the site of a youth campout organized by Norway’s ruling Labor Party. Before taking a boat to the island, Breivik donned body armor and tactical gear bearing police insignia (intended to afford him the element of tactical surprise). Once on the island he opened fire on the attendees at the youth camp with his firearms, a semiautomatic 5.56-caliber Ruger Mini-14 rifle and a 9 mm Glock pistol. Due to the location of the camp on a remote island, Breivik had time to kill 68 people and wound another 60 before police responded to the scene. Read the rest of this entry »

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Possible Fort Hood Attack Thwarted?

From STRATFOR

An AWOL U.S. soldier was arrested the evening of July 27 on an outstanding child pornography warrant in Killeen, Texas, and is suspected to have been plotting an attack on Fort Hood. The suspect, Pfc. Nasser Jason Abdo from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was reportedly arrested by the Killeen Police Department after an alert citizen noticed he was acting suspiciously and called police. Local TV station KCEN said explosives were found in his car, and FOX News is reporting two other U.S. military personnel have been arrested and that weapons and explosives were also found in their possession. According to STRATFOR sources in the U.S. law enforcement community, a reported plot by three U.S. military personnel to attack Fort Hood was in the advanced stages of planning.

Though there is no confirmation that an attack was in the works, the reports are reason for concern. STRATFOR has written about the possibility of grassroots plots, particularly in revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden. The fear is that Abdo or the other two suspects were planning an attack similar to that of U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who carried out one of the few successful grassroots attacks in the United States due to his tactical choice of conducting an armed assault. Read the rest of this entry »

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Gun Talk Television – New Shooters, Part 4

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Chinese Fighters Cross “Middle Line” With Taiwan

From Financial Times:

Two Chinese fighter jets crossed an unofficial dividing line in the Taiwan Strait late last month in pursuit of a US spy aircraft, according to defence sources in Taipei and Beijing.

Confirmation of the close encounter comes as the US and China are trying to cool tensions in the South China Sea and safeguard a recent improvement in bilateral military relations.

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Gun Talk Television – New Shooters, Part 3

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Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq

From: CSPAN

Major Jane Blair talked about her memoir Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq. She kept a journal of her and her fellow Marine officers’ experiences in the Iraq war. The guest interviewer was Representative Loretta Sanches (D-CA).

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Protecting Your Home While You’re Traveling

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The Mechanics of Blast Injuries

from:MIT

Scientists have discovered a mechanism underlying the type of brain injury that soldiers often suffer as a result of roadside explosions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work could point the way toward early treatment for these acute blast injuries by identifying potential drug targets.

Two new papers from the Disease Biophysics Group at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, led by Kevin “Kit” Parker, use tissue-engineering techniques to model the physical and biochemical effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the brain and blood vessels. Parker says the work represents a first step toward a “TBI on a chip” that could be used to screen for drugs to treat blast-injured soldiers before long-term damage sets in.

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Gun Talk Television – New Shooters, Part 2

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Mossberg Introduces AR Variants

Introducing the Mossberg Modern Rifle (MMRâ„¢)
MMR Hunter and MMR Tactical Rifles Bring Mossberg into AR World
 
North Haven, CT – Though referred to as the “modern rifle”, the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle has been deployed with military personnel and law enforcement agencies for decades; and more recently, this very adaptable and versatile platform has become popular with recreational shooters and hunters alike.  Mossberg is pleased to offer MMR Hunter rifles with advanced features specifically-designed for the avid hunter and a line of MMR Tactical rifles configured with the components most highly desired by competitive shooters and tactical operators. The initial offerings of the MMR Hunter and MMR Tactical rifles will be chambered in 5.56mm NATO (.223 Rem).
 
All MMR rifles feature a traditional direct-impingement gas system for reliable, smooth operation; free-floating, button-rifled, carbon steel barrels with 1:9 twist rates for increased accuracy in this standard military chambering; single stage triggers; and black phosphate/anodized metal finishes for enhanced durability. An oversized trigger guard allows for use with gloves. For a more positive grip and less shooter fatigue, these value-packed rifles feature Stark® Ergo Pistol Grips with a convenient battery storage compartment. To further enhance operation of the MMR rifles, the charging handle is oversized for quick and effective engagement by right or left-handed shooters and the forward assist has been removed.
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Gun dealers now required to report multiple sales of semiautomatic rifles

“The Obama administration implemented its most aggressive and controversial gun measure to date Monday when it ordered dealers in four Southwestern states to report multiple sales of semiautomatic rifles to the federal firearms bureau.

The rule, which had been opposed by the National Rifle Association and many members of Congress, takes effect immediately and is meant to stem gunrunning to violent Mexican drug gangs.

It requires about 8,500 dealers operating in the border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to alert authorities when a person buys within five days two or more semiautomatic rifles greater than .22-caliber with detachable magazines.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gun-dealers-will-have-to-report-multiple-semiautomatic-rifle-sales/2011/07/11/gIQAy3SI9H_story.html

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AK Mod: Left Side Upper Charging system

Upper Charging system for Kalashnikov Rifles

This item replaces the original gas tube with a new one that contains a new charging handle and slide. The new charging handle protrudes from the left side directly over the forearm of the rifle at the perfect angle to allow for easier and less troublesome charging. With a slight force in the upward direction from the operator the bolt assembly can be locked out of battery and away from the chamber.

Features:

• Non- reciprocating charging handle in a natural location
• Trouble free installation, no gun smithing required
• Faster reloading due to less hand manipulation
• Allows operator to keep firing hand on grip
• Much easier to operate when firing prone and/or around obstacles (i.e., car doors, windows, etc.)
• Quicker cooling on gas system.
• Eliminates all exterior moving parts (when existing handle is removed)

Read the rest of this entry »

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Gun Talk Television – New Shooters, Part 1

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Prosecutors Demand Laptop Password in Violation of Fifth Amendment

From: EFF

Prosecutors Demand Laptop Password in Violation of Fifth Amendment

EFF has urged a federal court to block the government’s attempt to force a woman to enter a password into an encrypted laptop. During the investigation, the government seized the device from the home she shares with her family, and then asked the court to compel the woman to type the password into the computer or turn over a decrypted version of her data. But EFF told the court that the demand is unconstitutional, violating her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.

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Pakistan’s Military Plotted to Tilt U.S. Policy, F.B.I. Says

By CHARLIE SAVAGE and ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON — “Pakistan’s military, including its powerful spy agency, has spent $4 million over two decades in a covert attempt to tilt American policy against India’s control of much of Kashmir — including funneling campaign donations to members of Congress and presidential candidates, the F.B.I. claimed in court papers unsealed Tuesday.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/us/politics/20agent.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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