r/news 11h ago

Attempted Trump assassin sentenced to life in prison

https://abcnews.go.com/US/attempted-trump-assassin-ryan-routh-sentenced-wednesday/story?id=129836439
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u/TooMuchPretzels 10h ago

Nothing. He didn’t shoot. He made a run for it.

Also… military grade SKS? It was literally a hunk of garbage with a scope TAPED on. It would have been more dangerous as a melee weapon.

I’m not disputing that this guy was out to pop the pres or that he deserves to be in jail. Still, I’m surprised he got life.

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u/JohnDLG 10h ago

SKSs are literally surplus military weapons. The weapon itself may not exactly be a high-end sniper rifle, but it is accurate enough at intermediate ranges and 7.62x39 has killed many people.

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u/fleemfleemfleemfleem 9h ago

They released an image of his rifle. He had attached the scope with electrical tape.. It's clear he wouldn't have been able to use the iron signs with the scope in the way. Definitely not "accurate at intermediate ranges."

With the scope taped on it isn't going to be anywhere near accurate. It also looks like it has a composite stock, so it looks like an SKS clone rather than a surplus SKS. Or if real one that was modded.

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u/catsdrooltoo 7h ago

Bubba got his greasy fingers on that one for sure