UPDATE: Two different readers have deduced that the guns are probably .223-caliber. There’s some debate over what, exactly, the “shortage” of ammo entails.

Kind of a funny article about Arizona state schools that, unfortunately, doesn’t say what kind of gun the “assault rifles” are. It’s rather odd they’d buy a firearm they’re having trouble securing ammo for.

My favorite part:

Jan Kelly, an ASU faculty member, said she understands why officers have a need for weapons with increased capabilities. She said she feels comfortable with campus officers’ access to the rifles.
“I don’t think the police are going to target students,” Kelly said. “If they (the guns) aren’t visible, most won’t really know about them.

Well, I’m glad we’ve cleared up that cops won’t use students as target practice (“Get back to class!”).

Also this:

Pistols that campus officers currently use aren’t ideal for long shots, said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UA Police Department spokesman.
“Beyond 50 feet, you lose a lot of accuracy,” Mejia said. “You can take a longer, more accurate shot (with the rifles).”

In practice, with moving targets, you lose accuracy way before 50 feet with a pistol — even within six feet, cops miss suspects more than half the time.

On another serious note, hopefully these guns will make the officers more prepared in the event of a tragedy.