boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Will please explain to me exactly what an assault weapon is.

btbg

You have hit on exactly what the problem is. There is no such thing and what gets deemed to be an assault weapon by politicians is often unclear and nebulous.

What they appear to want to ban is some semi-automatic rifles that happen to look somewhat like military firearms rather than traditional hunting rifles.

The thing is no one has accurately defined exactly which rifles are assault rifles and which ones are suitable hunting rifles and no one has demonstrated that a ban would work at all.

In fact the government's own study regarding the ban on assault rifles that went from 1994 to 204 is that the ban had no discernible difference on gun violence. Do the same study today and you will get the same result.

I repeat no difference. And in spite of what the news and liberals would have you to believe violent crime is down dramatically in the United States since 2004.

There is no one on this site that can give you an accurate and objective answer because there isn't one.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

That's easy. To our congresspeople, the first image is of an assault weapon. Notice how deadly it looks. Just seeing one in the near vicinity could cause people to drop over dead.

The second image is not and assault weapon. Notice how less deadly it looks. It's more likely used by people for target shooting, etc.

T***h is, they are the same weapon except the first has optional addon components. However, congress is going for looks not function. In reality, they both function pretty much the same way. I hope this clears up any confusion. </sarcasm>
--Bob

(Download)

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

So one might assume that if AR 15's are banned, a mass shooter will just go to another semi-auto rifle. How then do we prevent future mass shootings? Some kind of stronger back ground checks? But how strong? one can structure background checks so that no one will be able to buy any kind of weapons.. Too many questions with no answers.

WNC Ralf Loc: Candler NC, in the mountains!

Who needs a semiautomatic anyway? I own a pump action long gun, a lever action long gun, three bolt action long gun, and three revolvers. The only semiautomatic I have is a 22 caliber long gun I bought for the wife to get her involved, would give it up in a NY minute if laws change. A majority of us gun owners want changes, better settle soon or later we could lose more.

Rose42

If we settle we WILL lose more. Guaranteed.

Even 10 years ago no one would have questioned people having a semi auto. When did we turn into such a nation of sheep?

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Well then would semi-auto be banned from the selling of them or consfication" If selling what do we do with the many thousands of them alredy owned. All that would do is make them very mush more expensife on the black market. The single most deadly semi-auto rifle, that has k**led several hundreds of people is the M-1 Garand. Althought the went out of production many decades ago, many are still available. You mentiones shotguns. Those are available in semi auto model as well, so we ban those as well.

pendennis

The 2nd Amendment isn't about your likes, or dislikes of particular weapons, and you don't get to define others' needs. Your lever-action long gun (Winchester Model 94, Savage 99, etc.) is your choice, not others. The 2nd Amendment mentions only "arms", not "arms, except for...". Your lever action can be configured, depending on the model, to fire as many as 5 rounds per second. Ever see "The Rifleman"? There are people who can shoot just as fast as he.

There are any number of semi-automatic rifles which don't resemble the AR platform at all. The Remington Models 74/7400, Browning BAR, etc., are all examples of semi-automatics, as are surplus U.S M1 rifles, and the Springfield Armory M1-A. I personally know a man who hunts with his WWII-era M1. They're also used by target shooters world-wide.

As to shotguns, you may like your pump-action, but there are any number of shotguns out there in semi-automatic configurations that are used by h****rs and target shooters everywhere. Remington, Beretta, and Browning make shotguns to just about everyone's likes. There are shotguns (Winchester Model 12) which can fire as long as the trigger is held back and the action is worked. Is that an "assault shotgun"?

Like others, you're smitten with the configuration of a firearm, instead of the shooter, which is the real problem.

And what if the "government" decides your lever action rifle, or pump shotgun is an "assault weapon" what then?

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

But we still must do something to prevent mass k*****gs like 2 we just endured. What can be done, the mass shootings just can't continue. People said we must have background checks--we do. Curtail mentally ill from acquireing weapons, OK but what dom we do with those who have not been diagnosed as ill? Do we just have to live with occasional mass shootings? again more questions--no answers.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

If I assault you with my colt .45, does it not then become an assault weapon? I think the confusion on just what an assault weapon is, is an intentional thing, for those wanting to ban weapons.

pendennis

Yes, there are those with mental conditions caused by a variety of reasons, which don't qualify as insanity. It becomes a very precarious position to try and prevent those people from obtaining any type of weapon. Any denial of the right to purchase a firearm requires a court adjudication. That entails lawyers, doctors, judges, mental health professionals, etc. It also requires the person denied to waive private medical records. By Federal law, any medical professional who reveals patient information without the patient's consent is in violation of HIPAA laws.

So-called "Red F**g" laws in some states don't have any recourse for someone who was found NOT in some type of mental distress. This opens the door to any number of civil violations. And courts generally look for least restrictive measures on any decision.

"Mass shootings" are an aberration, and they're rare, considering the total population of the U.S. They garner coverage by the press because they happen in just a few minutes. However, there is scarcely any coverage of the slaughter every week in cities like Chicago and Baltimore. The fact that those volumes of k*****g take place says the problem is not guns, but human behavior.

pendennis

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

assault rifle is just a new term for what use to be called a combat rifle. the m-1 , the m-1 carbine, and the m-14 all qualify, they all can be dressed up with after market accessories to look more fearsome. none however have been used in mass k*****gs. for awhile there was a look like a a-k-47 being imported. there are a dozen companys making m-16 look alikes and a s**tload of accessories for them. you can google or go to you tube to find out how to convert them to full auto. they all advertise in the "American rifleman" magazine every month.

BigBear Loc: Northern CT

To a liberal, it means anything that fires a projectile. They just don't want to make it clear before they have them all eliminated because the fallout will be devastating to them.

skylane5sp Loc: Puyallup, WA

Initiative 1639 (WA) that was shoved down our throats last fall redefined ANY semiautomatic rifle as a 'semiautomatic assault rifle'. Any make, any model, any caliber. Along with a generous helping of equally draconian ignorant feel-good BS that took effect July 1. None of it addresses criminality or criminal behavior. It does, however, magically create a whole new class of potential criminality for law abiding citizens.