National Security

"Every Marine Is A Rifleman"

By Mark Thompson | @MarkThompson_DC | October 29, 2010 | +

That’s not a boast – it’s the truth. The average Marine is younger than those in the other military services, and more likely to be a trigger-puller. Youth and weapons probably explain this rash of recent shootings at Marine targets in the Washington area, including a second fusillade at the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, Va., late Thursday or early Friday.

The targets – the museum twice, a Marine recruiting station, and the Pentagon – suggest a severely disgruntled Marine (probably a former Marine, but leathernecks insist there are only Marines and retired Marines). He’s likely acting alone, defense officials believe. Last week, ballistics tests confirmed that the first three shootings all came from the same gun.

The FBI is on the case and is urging the mystery shooter to turn himself – generally these cases involve people of the male persuasion – in before blood is spilled. “We appreciate that he is struggling right now,” FBI spokeswoman Katherine Schweit told the AP Friday. “This guy hasn’t hurt anybody. We don’t think he wants to.”

Related Topics: marine corps, Troops, violence, National Security

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  • aldo1887

    “Youth and weapons probably explain this rash of recent shootings.”

    Are you kidding me? So apparently anyone who can dip their finger in dirt and scribble their name on a bathroom wall now can get a job from Time/CNN?

    What kind of a pathetic excuse for a “journalist” can drop an unsubstantiated, inflammatory sentence like this, treat it as fact that everyone just knows, then just walk away and keep writing?

    Because every gun immediately makes every person who touches it violet right?

    That one sentence mortally insults every young serviceman, who has made the SACRIFICE to give up their lives, to give their service, to protect the ability of chuckleheads like this writer to make intellectually vapid statements like this.

    It also insults generations of youth, who unlike this “author” have actually set foot outside of a city, raised with traditions of hunting and target shooting in their families.

    Then it makes all the Olympic Bi-athletes violent offenders, cause if you are under 18 and get a gun, you shoot everyone you can of course…

    Wow how did this drivel get linked to Google?

  • formerlyjames

    Note to Mark Thompson. Indiscriminate use of the word “rifle”, regardless of topic, may result in jaw dropping emotional outbursts.

  • hildrethe

    I agree with aldo, the “youth and weapons” comment is reckless and based on nothing. It could be a senile retired Marine, someone who was rejected from the Marines, or a 10 year old schoolgirl…what’s the point of jumping to conclusions?

  • sacredh

    Ilario, turn yourself in.

  • kbanginmotown

    This is my rifle, this is my gun… (NSFW)
    .

  • kbanginmotown

    “…what one motivated Marine can do…”
    .

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