How close could a sniper get to the inauguration site?

[Jeebo]

Could they get within a mile?

Aren't there sharpshooters with high-power rifles who can hit a target from a mile away?

I think Joe Biden and Kamala Harris should have their inauguration indoors. I am hoping and praying they will.

-- Ron

[MontanaMama]

1. I just asked that same question

on another thread. Q-nut Qriminals with all kinds of guns, scopes and silencers...Any of them happy to die for the cause.

[fantase56]

2. Jesus what a thought....

let's not go there

[Deuxcents]

3. Good god

Stop.

[TexasProgresive]

4. I think a 50 caliber sniper rifle maxes out at 2,000 yds

That's a bit more than a mile.

[Klaralven]

6. Not so effective against personnel beyond 1000 meters.

The primary mission of this rifle is to engage and defeat materiel targets at extended ranges to include parked aircraft; command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) sites; radar sites; ammunition; petroleum, oil and lubricants; and various other thin skinned (lightly armored) materiel targets out to 2000 meters.

The M107 will also be used in a counter sniper role taking advantage of the longer stand off range and increased terminal effect when opposing snipers armed with smaller caliber weapons out to 1000 meters.

https://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/rifle/M107.html

[sarisataka]

17. It isn't that the rifle isn't effective

the shooter is the weak link. It is quite hard to hit a person at that range, very few can do it.

[StClone]

10. Fifty Caliber legal?

[albacore]

26. Yes... if you have about $10K... and the range..?

In Afghanistan in 2001, A Canadian sniper made a confirmed kill at 7,982 feet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_M82

I've posted a couple of times about my fears of the Barrett in the wrong hands, and god knows there are enough ex-military in the crazies.

[StClone]

33. Thanks. I remember several states (NY for one) tried to ban it

To no avail. How big is too big. I love to hear the logic of that.

[Timewas]

24. Not sure

What gun was used but the record for a sniper is over 2 miles by a Canadian team.
(on edit) it was a TAC 50.. Manufacturer says 1800 meters maximum but they beat the hell out of that

[sir pball]

39. 3,871 yards

Is the longest confirmed sniper kill. That's farther than the entire length of the Mall, Lincoln Memorial to Congress.

It's an academic point though, as the talent and training required for that is so far beyond what Meal Team Six could muster that it's just a distraction from actually plausible threats.

[TexasProgresive]

42. I'm with you. I just posted the 2,000 yards as close to the maximum range.

That 3,871 yard shot, what was the temperature, wind speed and direction? That seems like a 1 in a billion shot.

[A HERETIC I AM]

46. With a shot that far, even the earths rotation has to be accounted for.

My answer to the OP is no way. The Secret Service and the DC police have been doing this for a long time. The threat against Obama was huge, so you know they had security sorted out.

[TexasProgresive]

51. I do have concerns greater that a lone sniper. It lies in the huge amount of NG and LEO presence

See my response to William 769 below.

[sir pball]

52. At least as much luck as skill, for sure

Plus all the ultra-long-range shots are up in the high mountains where the air is thinner, less drag = more range.

That said, it really is a total non-issue. There's probably a couple dozen folks on the planet who could pull something like that off and I doubt any of them will be in DC on 1/21...on the MAGAt side, at least.

[TexasProgresive]

54. I am more concerned about a cadre of hate filled LEO or Guardsmen

emulating the assassination of Anwar Sadat. There are way to many present in these two groups for them to be properly vetted.

[sarisataka]

5. There is a bit more to it

There are few guns capable of accuracy at such a range and even fewer people skilled enough to hit.

That isn't even considering the security forces which are aware that both do exist.

[Submariner]

7. A Canadian sniper has the longest recorded kill shot at 2.1 miles

In Iraq I believe.

So they can be far off if they’re all that good a shot.

[doc03]

8. Over a mile, I don't like the idea of it being outside either. I am also worried that the law

enforcement is compromised. These days you can't even trust the USSS.

[SheltieLover]

18. Agreed!

[cwydro]

47. On what basis do you not trust the Secret Service?

I think you’re wrong on that.

[Turin_C3PO]

53. Well,

there was an article posted here about a current SS member who is under investigation for supporting the Capitol insurrection on Facebook and saying the Democrats are traitors. Also reports of there being concern among the Biden people of some SS being too close to Trump, therefore Biden wants agents who have protected him in the past.

But I think the vast majority of SS are professional and are willing to die doing their job.

[fescuerescue]

57. Well the Secret Service will have a half a dozen machine guns within about 20ft of the President

and at this very moment there are probably a dozen guns within 30 foot of Biden. Right now, this second. So the worry about the SS not protecting against rifle shots from miles away is a bit misplaced.

If the SS would want to do something horrible, there's not a damn thing anyone in the world anyone could do about it.

But the people that are armed near the President, are probably the most vetted and monitored people on the planet.


For reference, take a look at the 3rd photo down on this page. The man in the suit there is an SS agent a few seconds after Reagan was shot. That's a machine gun he is holding.

https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/03/must-see-photos-of-the-attempted-assassination-of-president-ronald-reagan-in-1981.html

[William769]

9. DO you not think the Secret Service has a contingency for this?

There will be LEO Sharp shooters where you would find the sharpshooters you are talking about & then some.

[TexasProgresive]

50. Some of us remember the assassination of Anwar Sadat October 6, 1981

By Lieutenant Khalid Ahmed Showky Al-Islambouli.

From Wikipedia:

Islambouli and his platoon originally were not supposed to participate in the October parade, but they were chosen by the Military Intelligence, which was infiltrated by Islamist sympathizers under Colonel Abbud al-Zumar, to replace a platoon from the 133rd Artillery Battalion which was excused from participation for apparently failing some routine tests and checks.[4]

Once his platoon containing three heavy trucks towing M-46 field artillery guns began to approach the President's platform, Islambouli, along with Junior Sergeant Abdelhameed Abdul Salaam, 31, Corporal Ata Tayel Hameeda Raheel, 21, and Corporal Hussein Abbas, 21,[5] leapt from their truck and ran towards the stand while lobbing grenades toward where the President was standing with other Egyptian and foreign dignitaries.

The massive amount of National Guard and law enforcement does not quell my concerns. All it takes is one kill squad among them. We already know that many of the police and military are supporters of the right wing extremists.

[littlemissmartypants]

62. My thoughts are with that many stationed the higher the probability

There's a lunatic fringe, based on simple statistics alone.

❤ lmsp

[sarisataka]

63. Quite the corundum

It is too dangerous to be without security but can you trust the people providing security.

At some point you have to say we are doing the best we can or descend into paranoia.

[William769]

65. Be chicken little all you want.

I'll put my faith in the protectors. We will see which one is right in less than a week.

[DrToast]

68. Yes, any line of sight where this is possible is blocked by bulletproof glass

[Hoyt]

11. There will be helicopters, drones, security on buildings, etc. Maybe they'll tell

Biden, Harris, etc., to move a lot. I bet they won’t be out in the open much. And there will be a lot of security of people on their way to Washington, staying in motels, sleeping in cars, etc.

But, you never know what might happen nowadays.

[tblue37]

27. Just as I suspect his security detail nixed the train trip, I suspect they will pressure him to

not take the path outside, or if he does, they will try to have the area at least partially enclosed.

[tblue37]

28. Accidental dupe. Self-delete.

[mitch96]

37. something's going on, I get dupes also.. A pop up box asks if I want to post this again... nt

[Doreen]

12. I hope he is going to be fitted with a bullet proof vest.

[eleny]

19. Washington Monument

[lame54]

14. Is the Colorado Candidate invited?

[Captain Zero]

60. Is VA-5 invited ?? MSNBC says his staff involved

Brief mention this morning around 9:15.

[subterranean]

16. Won't he be protected by bulletproof glass?

[foo_fighter999]

36. I was wondering the same thing.

I sure hope he will.

Though, admittedly, I'd rather have the inauguration held inside, just for safety reasons.

[BigmanPigman]

20. I've beed thinking about this question for over a week.

I think it should be held inside or Harris will become POTUS too soon.

Then I thought it about The Manchurian Candidate and wondered if the pro-tRump sniper could pull a 180 and shoot tRump instead. Since tRump won't be there maybe someone else will get killed in his place. Who knows how the RWNJ really think...do they "think"?

[coti]

21. Wouldn't be distance but line of sight that's the problem

almost certainly, and surely security is aware of that also and on top of any dangerous positions.

[marble falls]

22. What if an asteroid hits the building? They'd better hold it underground.

[cwydro]

45. Lol.

Well done.

[marble falls]

48. I do my best. I try to panic at only specifically identified threats.

[cwydro]

55. Lol, buckle up because if there's one thing DU is good at - it's total panic over anything.

[marble falls]

56. Trump sowed a bumper crop, didn't he?

[cwydro]

58. He sure as hell did, thank god so many prognostications have NOT come true lol.

[marble falls]

61. Easy 90% vapored.

[cwydro]

74. Some still being recycled lol.

I think war with Iran, civil war, and martial law are still going strong in the DUniverse.

[onenote]

23. Not that easy to have a clear shot from a mile or two away.

Plus, he'll be behind bulletproof glass.


Here's Obama's second inauguration.

[Fiendish Thingy]

30. Joe's crowd will, by necessity, be about 1/100th the size of Obama's- I think he's OK. Nt

[bdamomma]

69. the organizers of the inauguration

said attendee numbers will be very small due to Covid restrictions.

[SoFlaBro]

67. Bet your ass wherever a sniper could hide, there will be agents there or in counter-sniping position

n/t

[ChoppinBroccoli]

25. The Secret Service Plans For Every Contingency

I don't know a whole lot about this subject, but I can tell you just a few observations I've made over the years. On the Sunday before the election in 2008, Obama came to Columbus to speak on the Statehouse steps, and I went to it. The security was unbelievable. The crowd was massive, but nobody got within a city block of the Statehouse without going through a metal detector. And once inside, I noticed all the sharpshooters on the roofs of all the buildings surrounding the Statehouse (there was a commotion that caused people to start looking at one of the buildings--I guess some people who weren't authorized tried to get onto the roof to watch the speech and were summarily escorted out, but that's when the sharpshooters all popped up so I could see them). And those were just the security measures I could see. It was on that day that I realized that it would be nearly impossible to assassinate a President in this day and age.

Also, later into Obama's presidency, he came back to Columbus to give a speech, and he stayed in a hotel that I pass by on my way to the courthouse every day. From the parking garage across the street from the hotel, my friend pointed out that there was a line of school buses parked bumper-to-bumper behind the hotel. He asked me, "Do you know what that is?" When I said no, he said, "It's the blast radius. Those school buses are lined up at the exact distance away so that if someone tries to drive a car bomb in, it will blow up before it causes any damage to the hotel." That's when I knew Secret Service protection was on a whole different level.

I feel pretty confident that Joe is going to be safe next Wednesday no matter where they choose to hold the inauguration.

[Paladin]

72. In a perfect world. (nt)

[Fiendish Thingy]

29. Think about inaugurations over the past 50 years at the same site- any sniper problems? Nt

[left-of-center2012]

32. I'm sure there will be plenty of bulletproof glass surrounding him

[SlogginThroughIt]

34. Well now that we are all being surveilled because of this post....

I just hope everyone stays safe and the people paid ti keep them safe do a very very good job!

[GulfCoast66]

35. Boy, so much wrong here.

Long shots can happen. But it takes a highly trained team. Not just some dude who can shoot. The spotter is as important as the shooter. These peckerwoods have neither.

Plus, the SS knows this landscape like the back of their hands. There is no point of weakness they don’t know of. Chances are that hey will have their own sniper teams on the most exposed areas.

[EarthFirst]

38. The Gravy Seals aren't disciplined enough to maintain the training required...

to make a sniper position with any sort of accuracy.

It's not a skillset that is easily replicated without maintaining diligent training.

That's not to say they aren't dangerous by any means; however very very very few possess this ability.

[MoonRiver]

41. There are ex-military in that mob.

Just saying.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

40. Depends on the number of, and degree to which, seditious Republican legislators are

determined to stop the inauguration and eliminate the threat of democracy. We don't know who, or how many, among them are the enemy within. All bets are off, when considering recent events.

Vice President elect Harris should repeat the Oath, and President elect Biden should be sworn in, at a private ceremony, in a secure, undisclosed location.

I would like to see the inauguration preparations proceed as planned, and have President elect Biden not show up at the last minute. This way as many traitors as possible could be trapped and arrested without any threat to the President elect. The inauguration could be recorded on video from a secure, undisclosed location, and televised soon after.

At this point, we really don't know who we can trust anymore. No apologies.

[superpatriotman]

44. Came to say this!

Get a personal tour from Gaetz, Gohmert, Gosar, Biggs, Loeffler, Jordan, or Taylor-Greene to get you the reconnaissance you need.

[pfitz59]

43. You don't want an answer to this question

besides "close enough"

[FreepFryer]

49. Let's do it in the Rotunda like in '85.

PS Agent Mike says hi.

[fescuerescue]

64. Mike is in the private sector now

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-t-evanoff/

Not joking.

[FreepFryer]

66. Heh. (Nt)

[MineralMan]

59. Look! The Secret Service is on this.

There are incredibly few places from which such a thing could take place, and the Secret Service knows about every last one of them. Trust me - they will be there and those places will be totally off limits.

It's truly not an issue.

[bdamomma]

70. Reports on TV

say DC is in lockdown.

MM

[MineralMan]

71. Yes, it is, pretty much.

They are closing the National Mall, too, which is where the audiences for Inaugurations generally stand. There simply aren't any sight lines from anywhere but the Mall, clear to the Monument. That is deliberate. Really, nobody will be able to even see the inaugural platform.

They've got this.

[Paladin]

73. Given the events of this past week, I question the optimism on this thread. (nt)

[radius777]

75. Should be done behind bulletproof glass

and Kamala should not be too close to Joe. I heard there will be counter snipers looking out for any rogue police etc.

Ugh, this is sad situation, but it shows that BLM was exactly correct about the police/leo/military and how RW it is. Until we completely reform them it doesn't matter what laws etc we make as they will selectively enforce what suits their RW worldview.

[yellowcanine]

76. I don't think this a good thread to have. I would delete it if I were you.

We should not be speculating along these lines. It is a gray area but still.

[IsItJustMe]

77. I completely agree. Don't give em any ideas.