The Term "Assault Rifle"

[ez bake]

Here's my problem with mincing labels and inventing terms that do not belong there (and I find that often times, it is best explained to non-gun people in this way):

*That is a NASCAR and you shouldn't be able to drive it on the road.

-No, it's a Chevy Impala.

*Yes it is - it is identical to what NASCAR drivers use in a race. Why would you need that for anything other than racing?

-You realize that it only looks similar on the outside right? Internally, they are both functionally different (one is designed to race where as the other is just used for normal every-day driving).

*We should pass a law that says NASCARs like your Chevy Impala are illegal. Do you know how many people are killed from racing every year?

 

[MLRyan]

According to wiki, a firearm needs these characteristics to be defined as an "assault weapon". I doubt there is any real definition though.

It must be an individual weapon with provision to fire from the shoulder (i.e. a buttstock);
It must be capable of selective fire;
It must have an intermediate-power cartridge: more power than a pistol but less than a standard rifle or battle rifle;
Its ammunition must be supplied from a detachable magazine rather than a feed-belt.
And it should at least have a firing range of 300 meters (1000 feet)

I just use this for my personal definition of assault weapon. So no, my AR is not an assault weapon IMO.

 

[Glocktogo]

I take issue with it because it's a factually incorrect term in most cases, intentionally used to inflame emotions in order to predispose the target audience against their ownership. If someone says "I think we should ban assault rifles" and you responded "So you want to ban select fire arms that've been tightly regulated since the National Firearms Act of 1934 and never been proven to be used in any crime for the past 78 years?", they'd look at you like you were a 3 headed alien. They wouldn't have a clue as to what you were talking about, because they've been intentionally misled by the media and politicians for as long as they've been alive. THAT, is what I have a problem with.

I own one assault rifle and several semi-auto, magazine fed rifles. None of them have ever been used in a crime and they present no danger to the law abiding public. Therefore, their ownership and use should not be regulated in order to appease someone else's emotionally driven fears.

 

[dennishoddy]

I just call them self loading guns.

 

[348]

"AK" in AK-47 stands for Assault Kalashnikov.

Not really.

 

[ez bake]

Not really.

Sarcasm swing...

And missed.

 

[348]

Sarcasm swing...

And missed.

No sarcasm. AK = Автомат Калашникова

 

[caojyn]

No sarcasm. AK = Автомат Калашникова

Strike 2

 

[348]

Really? How so? "Автомат" does not translate to "Assault".

 

[caojyn]

and "AR" does not stand for assault rifle it stands for ArmaLite the company that originally designed it. Therein lies the sarcasm. The mighty Casey has struck out.