FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, a local firearms expert is explaining how a gunman can turn a gun that’s perfectly legal into a killing machine.
“He was loaded for bear, which means he wanted to kill as many people as he can,” said Walter Philbrick of International Protective Services. “The problem nowadays with active shooters is they all want to beat the last shooter’s numbers.”
Philbrick is a reserve police officer and firearms instructor. He was also a SWAT Team member and the author of the book “Surviving.”
“He could fire a 30-round magazine in, probably, under four seconds,” Philbrick said speaking of Stephen Paddock, who opened fire at a music festival in Las Vegas, killing at least 59 people and injuring hundreds more. “To reload it, it’s really quick.”
Officials said Paddock had 23 guns inside of his hotel room. Of the guns he had, several were AR-15s, which are legal. However, police said he modified them, turning the semi-automatic weapon into a much more powerful weapon.
According to Philbrick, it was all about time, and he thinks Paddock had a lineup of weapons at the ready. Police said his magazines were taped together for easy loading.
“The magazine goes in the weapon. When you’re through shooting, you drop it out, you roll this over, put the new one in,” said Philbrick. “People have got to be observant to stop active shooters. Once the shooting starts, you have to find cover — hard cover that stops bullets.”
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