Are objects evil, or is it the purpose for which a person uses it which is evil? This is a fundamental question that underlies many public policy debates in our country, but rarely does it so near the surface as it is in the debate over gun control.

The horrific act of terrorism Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan stands accused of perpetrating last week at Fort Hood in Texas is once again revealing the difference between the two views. For many, it is clearly understood that it was Maj. Hasan’s alleged actions that are evil: The conscious decision to betray not only his oath as an officer in the armed forces of the United States, but the commission of the most horrific act of terrorism within the territory of this nation since September 11, 2001 — these actions are seen by most rational human beings as evil. Whether a murderer commits his crimes with a broken bottle, vehicle, or a semi-automatic weapon, the intention and action of the individual are where the moral fault rests.

For others, however, it is the object which is evil. Thus, in the case of the Fort Hood massacre, one encounters the description of Maj. Hasan’s weapon of choice as a “cop killer gun.” For example, a story at ABCNews.go.com led with the headline, “‘Cop Killer’ Gun Used in Ft. Hood Shooting, Officials Said,” and declared,

The gun thought to be used in the Fort Hood massacre packs so much firepower, it's known as 'the Cop Killer,' federal law enforcement officials said.

Major Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly packed a FN Herstal Five-seveN tactical pistol, which according to federal law enforcement officials, was legally purchased from the "Guns Galore" shop in Killeen, Texas in Aug. 2009. The store's manager, David Cheadle, said that particular firearm can hold 20 rounds in a standard clip and take a ten round clip extension. Cheadle said with one clip and one round in the chamber, one could fire 31 rounds before reloading.

Hasan may have used an expanded clip in the shooting.

On FN Herstal's webpage, the benefits of the Five-seveN pistol note that it can "defeat the enemy in all close combat situations in urban areas, jungle conditions, night missions and any self defense action."

Whether intentionally or not, the comments of Maj. Hasan’s cousin, Nader Hasan, immediately after the shooting built on the evil-object theme: “He had always wanted to just get away from the war and (that) environment.... He wasn’t someone who even enjoyed going to the firing range.”

For a man with a purported disinterest in firearms, Maj. Hasan demonstrated a chilling facility with his weapon of choice. Setting aside inflammatory language about “cop killer” guns (a term which is almost as descriptively pointless as “assault rifle”), it was not a gun which was a killer, but, allegedly, a major in the U.S. Army. The issue is not the weapon, but a system which purportedly knew Hasan was an outspoken Islamic extremist and failed to act on that knowledge.

Photo of Nidal Malik Hasan: AP Images

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Amadeus8888 said:

	... So they took all of our rights and have been spying on us for 8 years all for nothing? They knew he was dangerous and still he went on a rampage? I want my freedom and my money back! The big-brother approach has clearly failed.
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November 10, 2009
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Jim_Macklin said:

flight instructor "Cop Killer"... First it was NBC who 30 years ago dubbed the KTW bullet the cop killer, even though no cop was ever killed by one. In fact the KTW bullet was never sold to other than police and military. NBC made sure that bullet resistant vests were well known to teh bad guys who began aiming for head shots. But the Federal and State governments passed laws to restrict any bullet that is fired from a handgun that can defeat a vest commonly worn by police. The bullet fired fired by the 5.7 [.23 caliber] has passed the tests required by Federal law as not being a cop killer. The issue that should be noted, military based such as Ft. Hood are gun free zones, like schools and businesses that think signs make safety. Except for the lucky arrival of an armed person, the killing could have gone on for a long time, as it was several minutes passed before the first defensive shots were fired and the killing stopped. Military based are terrorist targets and although there may be good reason to not have every soldier carrying a weapon all the time, certainly there are trustworthy soldiers, officer and enlisted who have served more than one hitch and seen combat and proven themselves to be loyal. If every assembly of personnel had some armed men present, a mass killing such as happened at Ft. Hood could not happen.

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November 10, 2009
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DDS -- NRA Life Member said:

Cop Killer Gun? The hysteria is clear, as is the hyperbole. No gun has ever killed a cop. Someone had to be there to pull the trigger. That person would be correctly called a "cop killer". Any type of gun ever produced could be used, and many have been, to kill a cop. Therefore, the term "cop killer gun" is meaningless and has no proper place in the discussion of this horifying event other than to push an agenda to have all guns banned.

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November 10, 2009
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Thomas Paine said:

	Black is white and white is black What happened to the two other suspects that they arrested. Even Gov of Texas was advised there were two other suspects. Where are the eye witnesses that saw other shooters? I don't trust anything out of our mass media or military unless I get numerous counter opninions. Yes, he did the shooting. He may have been under hypnosis. Won't be the first time.
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November 10, 2009
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MKotyk24 said:

Paranoia will destroy ya The two suspects mentioned in the news, and in this post, were found and questioned by military authorities. They found that they did nothing wrong and were released. Eyewitnesses speak only of Hasan opening fire and no one else. But then, I served in the military (Navy) for 20 years so whatever I say won't be trusted anyway according to those paranoid conspiracy theory proponents; who are as terrible as those on the left wing who have rallied to Hasan's defense because he was a 'victim'. I believe that the real Thomas Paine had more respect for those who have served in the military than you do. With all due respect, sir, you live in a fantasy world. Stop watching "24".

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November 10, 2009 | url
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Captain Gabe said:

... The Five-Seven and 5.7x28mm ammunition were the target of brief controversy in the United States in 2004when it was claimed by the Brady Campaign that commercially available SS192 penetrated a Level IIA vest in testing. However, armor piercing variants of the 5.7x28mm are only offered to law enforcement and military customers. Commercially available variants of the 5.7x28mm cartridge are classified by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as being not armor piercing and it was claimed that the SS192 and SS196 cartridge variants did not penetrate Kevlar vests in tests conducted by FNH USA.

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November 10, 2009
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Jason said:

	A very incomplete article! What specifically makes this a cop killer gun? The FN 5.7 is a 5.7 mm round- roughly the size of a .22 caliber, but with a muzzle velocity of up to 2133 fps. This supersonic speed allows the tiny round to pierce kevlar.
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November 11, 2009
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Nicholas said:

The point is... ... that people are 'cop killers'-- not guns. By Jason's definition, almost any rifle is a 'cop killer' because it will pierce many grades of body armor. What's your standard? Class II? Class III? Class IIIa? An old Czech CZ-52 will punch through most body armor, too... but it's a "curio & relic" gun. (FWIW, the FN 5.7 is only that 'scary' with specialty rounds available to military and law enforcement.) 'Cop killer' like 'assault rifle' is a poorly defined, virtually meaningless, term. The term "cop killer" regarding ammunition or firearms is rhetoric intended to mislead people who, frankly, don't know much about either.

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November 11, 2009
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norris hall said:

... A few years back the NRA fought successfully against a law that would have prohibited suspected terrorist from purchasing weapons. The NRA believed that that would have been a violation of a would be terrorist right to "due process" Hassan , who had all the trademarks as a would-be terrorist, purchased his weapons legally. And practiced for his jihad at the local gun range. The fact that he was able to gun down so many trained soldiers with weapons bought easily and legally will be noted by terrorists everywhere. Thanks NRA!!!

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November 17, 2009
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