Attempt on Obama? Or, Chicago-style attempt on 2A?

[AZRedhawk44]

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=109&sid=2635318

Someone evidently did a drive-by on the White House.

And left their AK behind.   

And the guy has "ties to Idaho."   


Does this pass your smell test, after the Gunwalker fiasco?  It doesn't pass mine.

Any idgit with anger at POTUS is gonna know that:
1. White House is heavily armored for things like this.
2.  You ain't getting within 300 yards of White House unmolested with a rifle.
3.  An AK doesn't have the accuracy necessary to hit anything more precise than a window in general, let alone a target through a window, at 300 yards.
4.  An AK doesn't have the power to punch through government armored glass at 300 yards.


Or, to put more succinctly:
The White House building itself would probably be one of the best shooting range backstops for a rifle match in the world.

[SADShooter]

First, who's got the AK recognition chart? We're assuming accuracy in a media report.

Second, it would be amusing if a) Mr. Ortega was an "undocumented immigrant", or b) it was a Fast & Furious rifle.

ETA: I eat potatoes, therefore, in the current political/media climate, I can be argued to have "ties to Idaho". Not worth flusternation without more info.

[P5 Guy]

And it has the shoulder thingy that goes up. AKA barrel shroud.
 

[makattak]

Any idgit with anger at POTUS is gonna know that:
1. White House is heavily armored for things like this.
2.  You ain't getting within 300 yards of White House unmolested with a rifle.
3.  An AK doesn't have the accuracy necessary to hit anything more precise than a window in general, let alone a target through a window, at 300 yards.
4.  An AK doesn't have the power to punch through government armored glass at 300 yards.


Or, to put more succinctly:
The White House building itself would probably be one of the best shooting range backstops for a rifle match in the world.

No, a nutjob is unlikely to realize those things. A rational actor may, but anyone shooting at the White House can pretty much be automatically assumed to be crazy.

Also, the fact that the President is half the world away right now is yet another reason to assume this is a nutjob.

[griz]

The story that somebody was shooting AT the white house doesn't seem credible given that it took four or five days for anybody to even notice that it had been hit.  It sounds more like a dispute between individuals in two cars that just happened to have the WH as a backstop.  If the SS has some evidence that the WH was targeted I don't see it in the article.

[lee n. field]

Does this pass your smell test, after the Gunwalker fiasco?  It doesn't pass mine.

Wind-up gunman, trotted out for adverse publicity when needed.  Unless, of course, it's just stray shots from some unrelated social interaction.

[AZRedhawk44]

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/secret_service_searched_occupy_dc_camp_for_person_who_shot_at_white_house.php

Evidently the SS searched Occupy DC tents.

Isn't there court precedent that tents, in national parks, are considered domiciles and cannot be searched without PC or warrant? 

[Monkeyleg]

The Secret Service has released a photo of the AK:

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

The Secret Service has released a photo of the AK:

That must be some strong glass, since that AK is chambered in 38mm.

[kgbsquirrel]

That must be some strong glass, since that AK is chambered in 38mm.

38mm heat seeking, C4 tipped, VT fuzed? Jesus, it's a wonder the entire capital wasn't destroyed!

[KD5NRH]

Second, it would be amusing if a) Mr. Ortega was an "undocumented immigrant", or b) it was a Fast & Furious rifle.

I'm surprised they released the name, since it doesn't support the unspoken goal of portraying him as a white, right-wing nutjob.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

the first and only place i've seen it mentioned as anything other than typical dc street fun was here. who claimed it was an action against obama?

[RoadKingLarry]

Just what is your problem with wild hyperbole anyway?

 

[RocketMan]

That must be some strong glass, since that AK is chambered in 38mm.

38mm heat seeking, C4 tipped, VT fuzed? Jesus, it's a wonder the entire capital wasn't destroyed!

Not possible.  The only DC gunshop that carries those AKs has been out of stock for months. They're all being shipped to AZ and TX gun stores for sale to Mexican drug gangs.

[Perd Hapley]

the first and only place i've seen it mentioned as anything other than typical dc street fun was here. who claimed it was an action against obama?

Same here, though I haven't seen too many sources on it.

I am also rooting for this to be a F & F weapon. 

[AZRedhawk44]

the first and only place i've seen it mentioned as anything other than typical dc street fun was here. who claimed it was an action against obama?

No one has... Obama is out of country.

But, since F&F has failed, it's well within reasonable probability that this attack was orchestrated by the White House to drum up the anti-gun sympathy that was supposed to happen with F&F.  And that's a very reasonable assumption to make, since:
-F&F is tied to the Obama administration to Holder at a minimum, possibly higher
-Obama has said to Brady Campaign "we're working on things behind the scenes"
-This administration is 100% smeared and unworthy of trust in regards to 2A issues, for well documented reasons
-We have all sorts of nooz hyperbole on this one... "assault rifle, AK, Idaho, guy with a Mexican-sounding name, etc."

I also think the fact that we didn't hear ANYTHING about this story for several days after the actual shooting happened, speaks volumes.  Stories aren't suppressed when a guy shoots at the POTUS' house.  People don't escape DC after doing a POTUS drive-by in their own vehicle.  DC has a web of cameras that makes NYC look like Mayberry.  DC has gunshot-triangulating microphone systems.

I think this whole thing is manufactured to draw attention from Occupy (the rousting of camps makes Van Jones' people look bad), and from F&F (which makes Obama look REALLY bad) and from the potential budget battle that Congress is dealing with over the next week (which makes all Dems look REALLY bad).  It's being staged to be bread and circus when the uncomfortable questions get asked.

[wmenorr67]

Heard that they caught the nut case and he took two shots from near the Washington Monument.

[gunsmith]

it was Cheney, he thought he saw an old friend

[De Selby]

AK rounds can't penetrate tin foil hats around the country, that's for sure.  The idea that the .gov organized this to draw attention from fast and furious is tin foil hattery, plain and simple.

[makattak]

AK rounds can't penetrate tin foil hats around the country, that's for sure.  The idea that the .gov organized this to draw attention from fast and furious is tin foil hattery, plain and simple.

And, for once, I find myself in complete agreement with De Selby here.

[Nick1911]

And, for once, I find myself in complete agreement with De Selby here.

Ditto.  Not everything is an engineered conspiracy for political gain

[brimic]

AK rounds can't penetrate tin foil hats around the country, that's for sure.  The idea that the .gov organized this to draw attention from fast and furious is tin foil hattery, plain and simple.

True. No need to make up conspiracies when there are real and bigger ones being investigated right now.

[Jamisjockey]

AK rounds can't penetrate tin foil hats around the country, that's for sure.  The idea that the .gov organized this to draw attention from fast and furious is tin foil hattery, plain and simple.

Wow.  Hell must be a cold place today, as I agree wholly with DS right now.

You can't stop crazy.  And most people in the government couldn't keep a conspiracy under wraps with duct tape.  Just look at fast and furious.

[Perd Hapley]

the first and only place i've seen it mentioned as anything other than typical dc street fun was here. who claimed it was an action against obama?

Well, it's official now. He's charged with attempted assassination.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/oscar-ramiro-ortega-hernandez-charged-with-attempt-to-assassinate-obama/2011/11/17/gIQAZC9BVN_blog.html

[griz]

I just saw that he was charged.  Surprised me that he was shooting at the white house.  One day I will learn to wait for more info before guessing.