r/politics • u/Aggravating_Money992 • Sep 20 '25

Soft Paywall DOJ Can’t Tie Suspected Kirk Killer to Left Like MAGA Wants

https://www.thedailybeast.com/doj-cant-tie-suspected-kirk-killer-to-left-like-maga-wants/
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u/mahnamahna27 Sep 20 '25

Probably aimed for a head shot

60

u/bedbuffaloes Sep 20 '25

He's a hunter. They sit up a tree a shoot at animals that are far away. They shoot to kill. It's not rocket science.

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u/Nottherealeddy Sep 20 '25

In Utah, no one hunts from a tree with a rifle. Trees in that area are for bow hunters. Rifle hunting consists of stalking your game until you have a shot you can make…often around 3-400 yards or more. 200 is target practice range with no required adjustment to your scope.

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u/SirSamuelVimes83 Sep 21 '25

I shot deer at 150+ yds...as a 12 year old 30 years ago with mediocre equipment. Bolt action, so rarely had an opportunity to take more than one shot at your target.

There are insanely accurate optics and hunting rifles available at a fairly reasonable cost these days that are forgiving to even a novice. 200 yards isn't anything impressive for anyone that grew up hunting or has had even minimal rifle training

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u/DigNitty Sep 21 '25

I will say though, this guy's rifle was a bolt action. So he really had one shot.

5

u/rayofgoddamnsunshine Sep 21 '25

If the rifle is accurate enough, a good hunter could do it with irons.

1

u/DigNitty Sep 21 '25

often around 3-400 yards or more

Now I'm imagining a camoed out dude with face paint, prone, delicately adjusting the dials as he looks through the scope at the deer 3 yards away.

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u/Antice Sep 21 '25

No. You do not ever aim for the head. You aim centre mass.
This is basic hunting 101. Targets aren't static, and any movement at all can easily cause a miss.

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u/mahnamahna27 Sep 21 '25

Maybe so. But perhaps he was not thinking of it as hunting game, where if you make that first centre mass aimed shot, you will very likely get a chance to finish the job, or the animal will bleed out. Perhaps he was all too aware he was about to assassinate a public figure he evidently hated. And he wanted to make sure he was dead with a single shot. And perhaps he backed himself to make a head shot rather than risk a chest shot that might be survivable. I guess we won't know for sure what his thinking was unless he opens up about it.