i think thats stupid if they do
2007-06-29 13:29:17 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
This is military urban legend that has been around a long time. People say that it is against the Geneva Convention due to an article prohibiting unnecessary suffering. This is a stretch because even the smallest round, if used in an inhumane way such as torture, could fall into this article.
It is perfectly within the Code of Conduct and Laws of War to engage enemy personnel with 50 Cal weapons. There is no such rule or law against "overkill." Think about it ... we drop 500 lbs bombs to try and kill individual people.
And lets not forget we are talking about war. People get bayoneted, stabbed and even killed with E-tools and bare hands. In a war people are killed and often quite brutally. The weapon does not matter so long as it was not employed in such a way as to intentionally cause unnecessary pain or suffering.
Semper Fi
2007-06-29 18:36:04 · answer #1 · answered by Van1975 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No the Geneva Convention wanted to make the U.S. ban the use of Napalm as a inhumane weapon not the 50. The 50 will always be in use as an anti matter and anti personel weapon
2007-06-29 20:35:29 · answer #2 · answered by B-Rad 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I heard that one a while back and you're right it is stupid. If all I have to shoot at the bad guys is my .50 then I guess it sucks for the bad guys. Funny how you can drop a 2000 pound bomb on someone head and that's OK. But shooting someone with a .50 is considered inhumane? Damn war rules anyway!
2007-06-29 22:02:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
How is it inhumane? It's a quick death, on half falls one way and the other the other way. And regarding the person who said something about the belt buckle being regarded as a supply item, we were told a similar thing about the web gear.
2007-06-30 00:36:49 · answer #4 · answered by Wedge_Antilles_72 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
According to the Geneva Convention it's not supposed to be used against personnel, just equipment. But, what does a combatant soldier wear? Equipment....shoot away...
2007-06-30 11:08:16 · answer #5 · answered by Sergeant Major 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In my basic training in the early 1980's, they told us that you were only supposed to use the .50 against vehicles or supplies. They also told us that the belt buckle is a supply item, so aim for that.
2007-06-29 21:42:27 · answer #6 · answered by SpaceMonkey67 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I just bought a .50 cal rifle, it can do some serious damage.
2007-06-29 20:38:16 · answer #7 · answered by King Midas 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
technically your not supposed to engage the enemy with anything larger than a 7.62mm round
Annex to the convention
Section II
Article 22
To employ arms, projectiles, or material calculated to cause unnecessary suffering
so you can't just hit an enemy combatant with a 25mm round or .50
2007-06-29 20:48:50 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
don't know where you heard that from. never heard of and i just recently retired from the army.
2007-06-29 20:33:20 · answer #9 · answered by Todd J 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋