FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 1, 2007
Police Forces Upgrading Their Firepower
More Beat Officers Across The Country Being Armed With Semi-Automatic Weapons
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Play CBS Video Video AK-47s In Florida AK-47s are being used by street criminals in Florida and the police are starting to carry the weapon as well to have an "even chance." Kelly Cobiella reports.
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Video AK-47 Owner Says He Needs It "Only On The Web": Kelly Cobiella interviews Grady "G," an illegal gun owner, about why he feels that he needs to own an AK-47 for safety. "G" is among a growing number of AK-47 owners in Florida.
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The Broward Sheriff’s Office confiscated 25 weapons in a week’s time, including AK-47s. Now, police are finding they have to upgrade their own arsenals. (CBS)
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Interactive Guns In America State-by-state gun laws and death rates, maps of recent school and workplace shootings and facts on who's at risk.
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Interactive Crime Beat Statistics and specifics on crime in America.
His other weapon, an AR-15 - the civilian version of rifle carried by soldiers in Iraq.
“You have to up the ante a little bit; you don’t want to go to a gunfight with a knife,” Caldwell told CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella.
Especially when the gun on the other end of the fight is an AK-47, favored weapon of terrorists and, these days, the common criminal - used to rob grocery stores and donut shops. Last month, one was used to shoot four Miami-Dade police officers during a traffic stop, killing one.
The Broward sheriff’s office confiscated 25 of these weapons in a week’s time. Two are versions of the AK-47. They’re cheap, they’re easy to get and they’re powerful enough to pierce body armor.
Because of that, police are finding they have to upgrade their own arsenals. The guns usually seen in a SWAT officer's hand are now being given to beat officers in more than 20 departments around the country.
Miami's police chief is the latest to follow suit.
“I have an obligation to my police officers to make sure that they have an even chance,” said Miami police chief John Timoney.
Yet in many departments there isn't enough money to arm the entire force. Many beat cops have to buy their own rifle at a cost of more than $1,000, while assault rifles are being sold for as little as $200 on the street.
Twenty five-year-old Grady owns both an AK-47 and an Uzi.
It can fire 600 rounds at the flick of a finger. In his neighborhood, Grady says it's the only defense.
“I need something that, when I pull the trigger, is going to spray,” Grady said.
And it is set to automatic.
Caldwell knows a spray of bullets could be around the next corner. It's his assault rifle that gives him confidence he'll have a shot at survival.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 55 CommentsWhile I agree with you regarding the support of law enforcement to have the tools necessary to do their job, this inaccurate and biased "news" promotion was designed to misinform, arouse fear and promote additional gun control measures. The points you make could have been objectively developed in a professional news piece. But it wasn''t. That is what most of the people here are concerned about, I believe.
I would like to add two additional comments about your post: First, the reference to ''police state'' by another poster is what I believe the anti-gun people will attempt in order to carry out their agenda as aided by Ms Couric''s propaganda. Secondly, as law enforcement has no responsibility to protect you from harm, you should also be acquiring the tools and skills to protect yourself and your family until the police arrive.
by the reporter should be punished. This reporter deserves to be fired.
You blew it on this one DO YOUR HOMEWORK CHICK!!!!!!
The Negro with the Uzi is labeled under the video that its an AK47??? Come on your more professional than that.
Now you attack the Bill of Rights, in all cases your reports (I use the term loosely) are poorly thought out fabrications.
Just for teh record, the SKS rifle has never been manufactured in full automatic form. The AK-47 sold in the United States are not cheap, all sold are semi automatic, and would be impossible for anyone to have fired 600 rounds in one minute. Uzi sold here are also Semi Automatic, again 600 rounds, impossable.
Enough of your fabrications, I will look forward to the day CBS goes dark and we never hear another lie broadcast from this horrible excuse of a network. Perhaps the people you feel are so stupid, should petition the FCC to revoke the Broadcast licenses of every station nationwide that is one of you affiliates.
Personally will support the boycott of you local affiliate and the sponsors where I live. It would be a wonderful day when CBS is a just bad memory.
Are you people for real?
1. There is nothing extra powerful about the 7.62x39 round that AKs shoot. It is virtually identical to the .30-30 Winchester round commonly used in deer hunting. Virtually ANY rifle round will penetrate police body armor, which is only designed to stop handgun rounds.
2. Two of the rifles identified as AK variants were SKS rifles, which were used by the Russian army in WWII. They use a completely different design and no version of the SKS has ever been capable of full-auto operation.
3. The AK rifles available for civilian purchase in the U.S. are semi-automatic only. They are not machine guns. Inexpensive AK variants start around $400 and high-quality examples can cost closer to $800. The majority of the people who own them are law abiding people who use them for home defense, target shooting and even hunting (with a 5-round magazine).
4. The Uzi that idiot gangbanger was holding is not capable of "spraying" anything. It is a semi-automatic weapon.
5. There is no epidemic of gun violence. The FBI Murder by Weapon Type statistics show that rifles are only used in less than 3% of murders. More people are beaten to death with bare hands than are killed with rifles. More than twice as many people are stabbed to death than are killed with rifles and shotguns combined. Furthermore, the percentage of rifle murders actually went DOWN from 2005 to 2006.
Furthermore, no civilian firearm can fire "600 rounds at the flick of a finger." This is wrong on multiple levels. There is no ammunition feeding device of which I am aware for civilians that can hold 600 rounds of ammunition. An Uzi might have a 30 round magazine--HARDLY 600. In order to fire 600 rounds, one would have to be carrying TWENTY 30-round magazines and would have to change magazines NINETEEN TIMES--HARDLY "the flick of a finger."
Your erroneous reporting with respect to firearms and the Second Amendment are egregiously unprofessional and unethical. What happened to accurate journalism?
Why are you not running stories about the fact that firearms are used EIGHT TIMES more frequently by law-abiding citizens to prevent crime than by criminals to commit crime? Or that accidental firearms-related deaths are at an all time low in recorded U.S. history? Or that all the mass shootings at schools in recent history only take place in "gun free zones"? Or that Mr. Cho at Virginia Tech circumvented the "one gun per month" purchasing limit by waiting two months to get two handguns before he murdered 32 people? Or that no study has ever shown that gun control laws result in a decrease in violent crime rates?
Furthermore, no civilian firearm can fire "600 rounds at the flick of a finger." This is wrong on multiple levels. There is no ammunition feeding device of which I am aware for civilians that can hold 600 rounds of ammunition. An Uzi might have a 30 round magazine--HARDLY 600. In order to fire 600 rounds, one would have to be carrying TWENTY 30-round magazines and would have to change magazines NINETEEN TIMES--HARDLY "the flick of a finger."
Your erroneous reporting with respect to firearms and the Second Amendment are egregiously unprofessional and unethical. What happened to accurate journalism?
Why are you not running stories about the fact that firearms are used EIGHT TIMES more frequently by law-abiding citizens to prevent crime than by criminals to commit crime? Or that accidental firearms-related deaths are at an all time low in recorded U.S. history? Or that all the mass shootings at schools in recent history only take place in "gun free zones"? Or that Mr. Cho at Virginia Tech circumvented the "one gun per month" purchasing limit by waiting two months to get two handguns before he murdered 32 people? Or that no study has ever shown that gun control laws result in a decrease in violent crime rates?
Furthermore, no civilian firearm can fire "600 rounds at the flick of a finger." This is wrong on multiple levels. There is no ammunition feeding device of which I am aware for civilians that can hold 600 rounds of ammunition. An Uzi might have a 30 round magazine--HARDLY 600. In order to fire 600 rounds, one would have to be carrying TWENTY 30-round magazines and would have to change magazines NINETEEN TIMES--HARDLY "the flick of a finger."
Your erroneous reporting with respect to firearms and the Second Amendment are egregiously unprofessional and unethical. What happened to accurate journalism?
Why are you not running stories about the fact that firearms are used EIGHT TIMES more frequently by law-abiding citizens to prevent crime than by criminals to commit crime? Or that accidental firearms-related deaths are at an all time low in recorded U.S. history? Or that all the mass shootings at schools in recent history only take place in "gun free zones"? Or that Mr. Cho at Virginia Tech circumvented the "one gun per month" purchasing limit by waiting two months to get two handguns before he murdered 32 people? Or that no study has ever shown that gun control laws result in a decrease in violent crime rates?
Furthermore, no civilian firearm can fire "600 rounds at the flick of a finger." This is wrong on multiple levels. There is no ammunition feeding device of which I am aware for civilians that can hold 600 rounds of ammunition. An Uzi might have a 30 round magazine--HARDLY 600. In order to fire 600 rounds, one would have to be carrying TWENTY 30-round magazines and would have to change magazines NINETEEN TIMES--HARDLY "the flick of a finger."
Your erroneous reporting with respect to firearms and the Second Amendment are egregiously unprofessional and unethical. What happened to accurate journalism?
Why are you not running stories about the fact that firearms are used EIGHT TIMES more frequently by law-abiding citizens to prevent crime than by criminals to commit crime? Or that accidental firearms-related deaths are at an all time low in recorded U.S. history? Or that all the mass shootings at schools in recent history only take place in "gun free zones"? Or that Mr. Cho at Virginia Tech circumvented the "one gun per month" purchasing limit by waiting two months to get two handguns before he murdered 32 people? Or that no study has ever shown that gun control laws result in a decrease in violent crime rates?
Furthermore, no civilian firearm can fire "600 rounds at the flick of a finger." This is wrong on multiple levels. There is no ammunition feeding device of which I am aware for civilians that can hold 600 rounds of ammunition. An Uzi might have a 30 round magazine--HARDLY 600. In order to fire 600 rounds, one would have to be carrying TWENTY 30-round magazines and would have to change magazines NINETEEN TIMES--HARDLY "the flick of a finger."
Your erroneous reporting with respect to firearms and the Second Amendment are egregiously unprofessional and unethical. What happened to accurate journalism?
Why are you not running stories about the fact that firearms are used EIGHT TIMES more frequently by law-abiding citizens to prevent crime than by criminals to commit crime? Or that accidental firearms-related deaths are at an all time low in recorded U.S. history? Or that all the mass shootings at schools in recent history only take place in "gun free zones"? Or that Mr. Cho at Virginia Tech circumvented the "one gun per month" purchasing limit by waiting two months to get two handguns before he murdered 32 people? Or that no study has ever shown that gun control laws result in a decrease in violent crime rates?
Furthermore, no civilian firearm can fire "600 rounds at the flick of a finger." This is wrong on multiple levels. There is no ammunition feeding device of which I am aware for civilians that can hold 600 rounds of ammunition. An Uzi might have a 30 round magazine--HARDLY 600. In order to fire 600 rounds, one would have to be carrying TWENTY 30-round magazines and would have to change magazines NINETEEN TIMES--HARDLY "the flick of a finger."
Your erroneous reporting with respect to firearms and the Second Amendment are egregiously unprofessional and unethical. What happened to accurate journalism?
Why are you not running stories about the fact that firearms are used EIGHT TIMES more frequently by law-abiding citizens to prevent crime than by criminals to commit crime? Or that accidental firearms-related deaths are at an all time low in recorded U.S. history? Or that all the mass shootings at schools in recent history only take place in "gun free zones"? Or that Mr. Cho at Virginia Tech circumvented the "one gun per month" purchasing limit by waiting two months to get two handguns before he murdered 32 people? Or that no study has ever shown that gun control laws result in a decrease in violent crime rates?
Furthermore, no civilian firearm can fire "600 rounds at the flick of a finger." This is wrong on multiple levels. There is no ammunition feeding device of which I am aware for civilians that can hold 600 rounds of ammunition. An Uzi might have a 30 round magazine--HARDLY 600. In order to fire 600 rounds, one would have to be carrying TWENTY 30-round magazines and would have to change magazines NINETEEN TIMES--HARDLY "the flick of a finger."
Your erroneous reporting with respect to firearms and the Second Amendment are egregiously unprofessional and unethical. What happened to accurate journalism?
Why are you not running stories about the fact that firearms are used EIGHT TIMES more frequently by law-abiding citizens to prevent crime than by criminals to commit crime? Or that accidental firearms-related deaths are at an all time low in recorded U.S. history? Or that all the mass shootings at schools in recent history only take place in "gun free zones"? Or that Mr. Cho at Virginia Tech circumvented the "one gun per month" purchasing limit by waiting two months to get two handguns before he murdered 32 people? Or that no study has ever shown that gun control laws result in a decrease in violent crime rates?
If he is not a felon, then he was most likely not a gang memmber and a fake.
If he was not a gang member, but the Uzi was an unregistered full auto Uzi, then she probably committed a felony handling it (possessing) and then handing it back to him.
If it was not a full auto Uzi, then the interview was a fake.
Which is it? Will your reporter be investigated by the ATF, or was the story a total fake and staged?
You folks prey on the uninformed in the hope a advancing your anti-gun philosophy.
The facts are that "assault rifles" are used in only a tiny fraction of crimes, are no more powerful than your average hunting rifle, and have the same mechanism of action as many hunting rifles (one trigger pull equals one shot). Full auto rifles are highly regulated, and are extremely difficult to buy legally.
2005 data:
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_20.html
Total murders............................14,860.....100.00%
Handguns..................................7,543......50.76%
Other weapons (non firearm, non edged)....1,954......13.15%
Edged weapons.............................1,914......12.88%
Firearms (type unknown)...................1,598......10.75%
Shotguns....................................517.......3.48%
Hands, fists, feet, etc.....................892.......6.00%
Rifles......................................442.......2.97%
2006 data:
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_20.html
Total murders............................14,990.....100.00%
Handguns..................................7,795......52.00%
Other weapons (non firearm, non edged)....2,158......14.40%
Edged weapons.............................1,822......12.15%
Firearms (type unknown)...................1,465.......9.77%
Shotguns....................................481.......3.21%
Hands, fists, feet, etc.....................833.......5.56%
Rifles......................................436.......2.91%
All rifles, semiautomatic "assault" rifles, and all other types combined are used in less than 3% of the reproted murders in the USA. So why is the sky falling again?
You folks prey on the uninformed in the hope a advancing your anti-gun philosophy.
The facts are that "assault rifles" are used in only a tiny fraction of crimes, are no more powerful than your average hunting rifle, and have the same mechanism of action as many hunting rifles (one trigger pull equals one shot). Full auto rifles are highly regulated, and are extremely difficult to buy legally.
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See all 55 Comments