Trumpled (Alternative Leading)

[DJC]

How does one shooter kill 50 odd and wound a further 50 in a confined space without getting taken down?

Stories say that people were shot multiple times.....

afaiaw, the magazine of the main weapon used holds 30 rounds.

Do the maths.

Why did the Feds take 3 hours to 'storm' the building?the main

Magazines for the AR-15 hold between 5 and 100 rounds but 20 and 30 round magazines are standard.  Military users of the similar M-16 often tape three magazines together giving rapid access to up to 90 rounds.  Changing magazines takes seconds so magazine capacity is not a limiting factor.

The AR-15 is semi-automatic so the rate of fire is dependant on how fast the shooter can pull the trigger (and change magazines).  I once fired 60 rounds from a semi-automatic rifle in just over a minute (two magazine changes) so shooting around 100 people in a confined area in 5-10 minutes would be relatively easy - if you are cold-blooded enough to carry out such an atrocity.

I understand that the delay in entering the building was due to fears that the gunman had explosives.  I'm not sure how far the armoured vehicle had to travel but that may have been a factor too.