Estimated studying time: 2 minutes
In a latest video, Brandon Herrera, identified on-line as The AK Man, took a deep dive into one of the uncommon firearms ever tied to an assault on a sitting U.S. President: the German-made RG14S.
The .22 caliber six-shot revolver was utilized by John Hinckley Jr. in his March 30, 1981 try and assassinate President Ronald Reagan.
The firearm, offered on the time for roughly twenty-nine {dollars}, grew to become a historic footnote for its low value, crude building, and shocking function in a serious nationwide occasion.
Herrera walks by means of the mechanics of the revolver, noting its toy-like really feel, solid building, and weird loading system.
As an alternative of a traditional swing-out cylinder, the RG14S requires the person to tug out the ejector rod fully earlier than loading.
As he demonstrates, the identical rod should then be used to punch out spent casings as a result of the design lacks an ejector mechanism.
The video blends Herrera’s typical humor with an outline of Hinckley’s motives, together with his obsession with Taxi Driver and actress Jodie Foster, in addition to his fixation on The Catcher within the Rye.
Herrera highlights that Hinckley’s motivations had been private relatively than political, though the assault reshaped nationwide gun-control coverage years later.
Reagan was one in all 4 folks hit throughout the assault, together with James Brady, Tom Delehanty, and Tim McCarthy. Herrera revisits the well-known particulars: the bullet destined for Reagan first ricocheted off the limousine’s hood earlier than coming into his chest, puncturing his left lung.
In a ballistic reenactment, Herrera manages to duplicate the same ricochet impact right into a ballistic dummy, demonstrating how the small .22 LR spherical may comply with an unpredictable path by means of mushy tissue after deflection.
The video additionally recounts Reagan’s famously calm remarks following the taking pictures, together with “Nancy, I forgot to duck” and “I hope you’re all Republicans” to the surgeons getting ready him for emergency care.
Herrera closes by noting the long-term political affect of the incident, together with the eventual passage of the Brady Invoice and the creation of federal background test necessities.
The episode continues his collection exploring historic assassinations and the firearms related to them, providing a mixture of schooling, darkish humor, and ballistic experimentation for viewers.
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