I’ve had two people say something to the effect of “it’s hard to believe this massacre could happen on an Army base where everyone is a soldier and there are so many guns around,” meaning that lots of people should have been able to defend themselves.

Obviously, these people haven’t spent a lot of time on base.

I don’t know the regs for Fort Hood, but military bases are often pretty “gun free” in the sense that personnel aren’t issued weapons and generally not allowed to carry unless it’s part of their duties. So pretty much just MPs. It’s not like all the 11B infantrymen are walking around in armor with a loaded M4.

I thought I had posted about some new rules a while back that were trying to control personal weapons off base, also, but I can’t find it right now.

Suffice it to say that the personnel on Fort Hood had no real chance to defend themselves against Nidal Malik Hasan, a lifelong Muslim who reportedly gave an “Allahu Akbar!” shout-out before opening fire.

Will we be seeing the Bradys and other anti-gun groups trying to spin this as some sort of evidence that more guns won’t make anyone safer? Probably.

U.S. Army Spc. Peter Hurlock qualifying with the M16 in Korea. April 14, 2009. (U.S. photo by Staff Sgt. Christophe D. Paul/Released)

A couple of posts by C.J. Chivers:

How Reliable Is the M-16 Rifle?

and

The M-16 Argument Heats Up, Again

Good overall views of the issue, though the increasing use of 77-grain Mk 262 ammunition with the Special Forces and the poor showing in US Army dust chamber tests against a trio of piston guns were not mentioned.

Also, he writes about the M855 not “fragmenting” as well as the M193. Didn’t he probably mean “tumbling”? Though they do sometimes fragment, I thought that was not the design intent.

Anyway, it’s nice to see decent coverage of this issue where it might get a little more visibility.

Via Traction Control: US special forces prepare for additional SCAR influx

A total of 1,200 Mk 16 and Mk 17 SCAR weapon systems have been delivered to SOCOM to date, but FNH USA told Jane’s that it expected a larger order for around 20,000 weapons next year.

The expectation is that about 75% of them will be the 5.56mm SCAR-Light versions.

Here’s Murdoc trying out a SCAR-L at a demo in 2008:

Murdoc trying out the SCAR-L

Over at Murdoc Online: Well, they’ve obviously not been shooting many poodles lately

Story via Steve.

Information Systems Technician 1st Class Mark Mercier aims his M-4 assault rifle downrange as he participates in a weapons qualification exercise on the flight deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43). Fort McHenry is deployed with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Wilson/Released)

I can’t tell what that is on the mag well. Looks like it might be personalized, but it’s not the shooter’s name. Or the ship’s name.

Also note the digital Navy Working Uniform (NWU) pant. The NWU was introduced this year and is also available in a non-digital pattern.

UPDATE: Commenter Johannes noted that the markings look like those of a Mk 18 Mod 0, and that’s absolutely correct. See this image for a close-up of the markings.

Remington Acquires Advanced Armament Corp

Wow:

Madison, NC – Remington Arms Company, Inc. through a wholly owned subsidiary has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire certain assets of Advanced Armament Corp (AAC). The transaction closed on October 2, 2009.

Located in Norcross, Georgia, AAC is an industry-leading supplier of signature noise reduction and flash reduction devices and combat-related accessories for the military, government and commercial markets. With their innovative design concepts, technologically-advanced manufacturing techniques and core focus on the end-user, AAC silencers and accessories have been selected by major firearms manufacturers, law enforcement agencies, commercial consumers, and military organizations globally since the company’s inception in 1999.

AAC will continue day-to-day operations at their Georgia-based location under the guidance of company founder, Kevin Brittingham, and report to the Remington Military Products Division (MPD).

A handout image obtained on September 10, 2009, from Britain's Ministry of Defence shows a female Afghan National Police (ANP) officer receiving weapons training on a Smith & Wesson Sigma 9 mm pistol. The first thirteen female ANP recruits will soon be joining their male counterparts. (HANDOUT/AFP/Getty Images)

From this photo gallery.

Especially Our Snipers

Murdoc is back from his globe-trotting and regular posting will resume shortly.

Meanwhile, have a picture:

A U.S. Soldier assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, pulls security while waiting for the local Mukhtar to arrive during a mission to distribute micro-grants to the people of the village of Al Hamrania, Iraq, Aug. 24. Photo by Spc. Canaan Radcliffe

That appears to be the least-accessorized M4 I’ve seen since the initial invasion. It appears to have only a red dot and a BUIS. There’s a little nub of something showing below the forearm rail, so possibly something is mounted on the left side up front.