When we first heard the Trump administration planned to fire live munitions over California’s Interstate 5, we thought it sounded like a bad idea, because, yeah. That sounds like a bad idea. Still, it seemed like, if anything went wrong, it would probably be California residents dealing with the fallout. Maybe someone’s house would get hit by shrapnel. Or their car. But even the most cynical among us never would have predicted the shrapnel would hit JD Vance‘s security detail, a very real thing the BBC reports actually happened on Saturday.
Thankfully, no one was killed or even injured in the mishap. That said, we may have seen more damage or even some injuries if California Governor Gavin Newsom hadn’t also closed part of the I-5 freeway prior to the demonstration. After all, we aren’t talking about a glorified firework, here. We’re talking about a 155-millimeter artillery shell fired from an M777 Howitzer that the California Highway Patrol says “detonated overhead prematurely.”
This incident is also a perfect illustration of why you don’t fire live munitions over a highway, even if you’re celebrating the Marines’ 250th birthday. And it isn’t like no one could have possibly predicted that something might go wrong, either. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom even took time out of his busy day of podcasting with his right-wing friends and beating up the homeless to issue a statement saying, “The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety. Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous”
How dare the governor worry about safety
Before the shrapnel his Vance’s security detail, the White House’s Rapid Response team attacked Newsom’s plans to close the I-5 freeway, posting on Twitter:
Newscum is lying. He closed the highway — not only did nobody at the White House or the Marines ask him to do so, the Marines repeatedly said there are no public safety concerns with today’s exercises.
Newscum lies and tries to make it about himself? Day ending in ‘y’
While federal officials had previously claimed the exercise would be conducted with “all safety precautions in place,” the fact that they planned to fire live munitions over an active freeway wasn’t the only sign things might go wrong. According to the Los Angeles Times:
But California officials expressed fears about those live rounds being fired over Interstate 5, which runs between the beach where the “landing” was taking place and the rest of the sprawling military installation.
Then, on Friday evening, the Marines did a test run without notifying state officials, firing artillery rounds over the I-5, according to the governor’s office — all while motorists drove on the freeway. The California Department of Transportation captured the live fire on video.
That seems bad, but then again, we’re talking about a bunch of people who thought firing live munitions over a freeway was a good idea in the first place. The Marines responded to those who were upset with a statement, saying, “M777 artillery pieces have historically been fired during routine training from land-based artillery firing points west of the I-5 into impact areas east of the interstate within existing safety protocols and without the need to close the route. This is an established and safe practice.”
This isn’t normal
Clearly, though, it wasn’t. One of the munitions fired over the freeway detonated prematurely. At least two vehicles were hit by shrapnel. If Newsom hadn’t closed the freeway, there’s a good chance this would have ended worse than it did. Because it wasn’t just two pieces of shrapnel that falling on the highway. As the BBC reports, “One of the officers said it sounded like pebbles were raining down on his patrol motorcycle. Several pieces of shrapnel were found, including one that dented the hood of a patrol car.” That might not have caused much damage to a stationary vehicle, but if vehicles were moving at highway speeds? That could have been a disaster.
Also, the Marines’ claim that it regularly fires munitions over I-5 seems a little suspect. CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado pushed back against the Marines’ claim that it’s normal to shoot artillery shells over the freeway, saying in a statement that “it is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway.” Coronado also added, “As a Marine myself, I have tremendous respect for our military partners, but my foremost responsibility is ensuring the safety of the people of California and the officers who protect them.” The CHP also told the LA Times that it’s “not aware of live fire occurring over Interstate 5 in the past.”
I, for one, cannot believe that Republicans would lie about that. Isn’t lying supposed to be against their religion?
