>  Koresh was gathering weapons in anticipation of an end of the
 >  world battle. When the US Marshals showed up the Davidians
 >  opened fire.
 
Koresh or one of his people had purchased a certain part to a semi-
automatic weapon that, in federal firearms law, added up to `the 
machine gun'. 
  
 >  The LEOs did some dumb things, but the Davidians committed
 >  murder, and, eventually, suicide.

In their usual, heavy-handed way, they tried a `dynamic entry'. Only
those inside the compound were a lot more alert than the LEO's were
led to believe. Another example of federal law gone awry was the
Ruby Ridge incident. 

It was that `kick-in-the-door' mentality that in both instances led to
unnecessary tragedy. In Waco, so much noise and speculation in the 
media on the spot, coupled with camera shots that probably still aren't
fully explained (if not outright mis-interpreted), nobody really knows 
for sure what exactly happened. 

But you're right, the Koresh people committed murder at the very least,
and who knows what other crimes would have come to light.
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