Sniper guns come under fire

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SOUTH AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON SALES OF ARMS EQUIPMENT

Published: 23 Dec 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

The fatal sniper shooting of a police officer by a suspected insurgent on Wednesday night has prompted authorities to discuss controlling the sale of equipment used with sniper rifles.

OUT OF FOCUS: A burned surveillance camera is left on the roadside in Pattani’s Sai Buri district. It was one of 26 cameras torched yesterday.

Telescopic sights mounted to sniper rifles are widely available, even in markets, for about 7,000 baht apiece, an intelligence source said.

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ricefield
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Discussion 27 : 23 Dec 2012 at 23.3627
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Disc 20 - "so big is the difference with a real, true, sniper gun!" Sorry but it's not. Accuracy and flat trajectory is the difference. One of the most accurate calibers is 308 Winchester. In WW2 the Germans used 9mm (9x57 Mauser)which is similar to 308 Win neither of them is a big caliber. The modern choice for ranges up to 750 meters is still 308 (Thai Army and others still use this) and then 50 cal out to 2000 meters plus.
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Rab.Madar
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Discussion 26 : 23 Dec 2012 at 18.4026
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Disc 24. What do you think the outcome would be if the insurgents were given their own way, do you think there would be peace, if so please think again. Even the brave teachers and monks know it would be disastrous.
Afghanistan is a different kettle of fish altogether. There are troops from over 20 NATO countries involved. It is an international affair.
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Worzel
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Discussion 25 : 23 Dec 2012 at 18.3225
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A cross bow in well trained hands can be equally deadly against soft targets. It's not about the weapon, but about the motivation, skill and objective of the handler.
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bluebottle
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Discussion 24 : 23 Dec 2012 at 17.2124
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Those of you talking about not giving in need to look at the disaster unfolding in Afghanistan force has got nowhere has it?
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pointman-1
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Discussion 23 : 23 Dec 2012 at 16.2023
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Disc 10, rastas: I totally agree with you. I would ask the Auzzies and Brits, to provide proper training to assist, in dealing wih the southern Insurgency.
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dao
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Discussion 22 : 23 Dec 2012 at 15.3122
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I think more than choice of weapons is a basic understanding of what is actually going on in the south .I dont think the government has that .
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Bangon
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Discussion 21 : 23 Dec 2012 at 15.0821
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And please stop writing about any 'rifle with a scope' as 'sniper gun', even when the 'authorities' do! It's like calling any 'Toyota Vios' a 'Red Bull Formula One', so big is the difference with a real, true, sniper gun! By the way, as I guess nobody really saw this gun, why should it be a (so called) 'sniper gun', with a scope, hmm?
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Bangon
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Discussion 20 : 23 Dec 2012 at 14.5820
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What caliber, and kind, of bullet (military//hunting) killed the poor Pol Sgt? How many shots were fired + pace (automatic//bolt action)? At what distance was the shooter (maybe no scope at all)? Nothing from the witnesses? The criminal could have used one of the hundreds of weapons (+ ammo) from the Thai Army 'lost' or 'unaccounted for' in recent years, or was it some 'special' rifle? Our Police and Army, even when they are at 'the receiving end', can be so secretive (or don't they have a clue)?
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Rab.Madar
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Discussion 19 : 23 Dec 2012 at 14.5319
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Out of the 5,500 dead and 9,500 injured in the South. I wonder how many involved the use of telescopic sights, I can imagine very few, so what is the point of banning them, even although they could ? Deploying intelligence personnel along with special services will be a good start to combat the insurgency. I doubt if this problem will be solved politically without giving in to the insurgents. And that must never be done.
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tamsin
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Discussion 18 : 23 Dec 2012 at 11.1018
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'The only people with guns here are criminals' Haha! Don't be so naive, my accountant keeps one under his desk, as does my lawyer. Are all those gun shops in Yaowarat illegal? Don't think so. Anyone can buy a gun legally here, so long as they're Thai. So you could amend that to 'the only farang with guns here are criminals'. The rest, some are most aren't. And I loathe guns BTW.
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