Did Stephen Paddock Do It?

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Roger
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Did Stephen Paddock Do It?

Post by Roger »

Even highly trained Navy Seals would have a difficult time running a full auto weapon for 10 minutes straight. Such weapon systems are brutal on the operator. They require tremendous strength, stamina and expert troubleshooting to keep running. Full-auto weapons overheat and jam. They demand incredible strength to keep aimed on target. They require expert reloading and weapons clearing in the case of jams, and the hotel room would have been so full of smoke and powder residue that it would be almost impossible to keep breathing from that enclosed space.
The quoted statements are rather arbitrary and although not entirely incorrect, they are not justified in the case of the Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock. Also, for some unfathomable reason, Paddock's age is some magical negative factor, as to why he couldn't have done it. And that Paddock had no prior military experience, proves he couldn't have done it, is also some kind of fable.

First off, I have to explain that Paddock did not have, or use, automatic weapons. They were semi-automatic rifles that were modified with a "bump" stock, allowing a rate of fire that was similar to that of automatic weapons. I would venture to guess, based on the audio recording of Paddock firing, that his rate of fire was somewhere around 300-400 rounds per minute. That's about half the rate of the average automatic weapon, such as the M16A2, or the M4A1. Still, that's a respectable rate of fire. A high enough rate that he killed 59 people and wounded many others. He fired for about 9-11 minutes. The news has it that 10 semi-automatic weapons were found in his room, with bump stocks. Assuming Paddock used banana magazines, of 40 rounds per, and while firing emptied a magazine every 30-45 seconds, then that would amount to 10 magazines expended in 560 seconds, including ten pauses of about 12 seconds each to change out between weapons and/or magazines. So 10 magazines in about 10 minutes. Four-hundred bullets peppering hundreds of people for ten minutes. Yes, I would say Paddock could easily have accomplished that. And without aiming, even.

I'm former military, so yes, I have some experience in these type of things, however, my former training does not automatically confer some fabulous skill that allows me to do a Rambo. But, then again, I'm not motivated to go out and shoot a bunch of people. One thing we were taught in the Army is that a highly motivated individual can perform at a greater rate than a person who is lacking the same level of motivation. So could Paddock have accomplished this killing spree by himself? Absolutely.

I'll have more to add later.


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Falcon
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Re: Did Stephen Paddock Do It?

Post by Falcon »

I think that possibly you confuse "possible" with "Probable". " Could he have sustained that rate of fire? Certainly... especially if the extra weapons were loaded and equipped bump stocks... he reportedly had 12 of them... and he was swapping them out as they came empty or jammed [Has anyone heard of the status of the rifles in the hot tub? Loaded, fired or not?]. It is possible. Did he, given his lack experience, age and physical condition? Highly doubt it.


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Roger
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Re: Did Stephen Paddock Do It?

Post by Roger »

Falcon wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:40 pm I think that possibly you confuse "possible" with "Probable". " Could he have sustained that rate of fire? Certainly... especially if the extra weapons were loaded and equipped bump stocks... he reportedly had 12 of them... and he was swapping them out as they came empty or jammed [Has anyone heard of the status of the rifles in the hot tub? Loaded, fired or not?]. It is possible. Did he, given his lack experience, age and physical condition? Highly doubt it.
Based on the publicly known evidence I'd say it was probably Paddock acting solo.

Apparently Stephen Paddock was a gun aficionado, since he had collected quite a few weapons, over at least a decade. My assumption is that he knew how to use those weapons pretty well, so I'd say that he was well enough versed in firing the weapons. Since the weapons Paddock collected were not antiques, but modern firearms. There was also a TV news segment showing a private location used for a target range by Paddock.

As for his health, I'm uncertain as to what you mean, as Paddock regularly participated in all night online poker games, indicating his physical health was robust enough to allow staying up all night. I saw no mention in any news article that Paddock was in poor health. The only thing of mention is that Paddock had filled a prescription of diazepam (Valium), which military snipers take to clam their nerves (lessen inadvertent muscle twitches). Unfortunately, a individual taking diazepam might have the opposite reaction to what is intended. The shooter of then President Ronald Reagan, John Hinckley, was on found to have diazepam in his system. So were a few others who shot up people and things. I'm not implying that diazepam is the sole cause for committing horrendous acts, just that the drug probably has some connection.

As for Paddock's age, well, I'm into my sixties and I can still operate a weapon on full auto with skill and certitude. I'm still a fair marksman. So although the effects of aging can affect everyone differently and at different times in their lives, there are yet many people who can function very effectively even when into their 70's.

I know some Law enforcement officers still believe Paddock had help, like Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, but at this time, there is no evidence to support that "belief". And until such evidence is provided, we must go by what we know. I'm not saying we can't speculate because we can. I wholeheartedly support speculation. Hell, I suspect that Paddock was just an unwitting part of a government conspiracy that is seeking sure fire methods to control the masses.


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