This sounds like blaming bowling for the Columbine shooting and it'll only be taken seriously by idiots. However idiots are very loud and most people don't bother to learn the whole of any issue.
Private Custard said:
thaluikhain said:
Wandering_Hero said:
Legalise assault rifles warped american citizens.
Seriously handguns is one thing, but why the hell are ASSULT RIFLES legal? Citizens won't be carrying those around in self defence
Assault rifles are only legal in the US if they have been registered before May 1986. They are very hard to come buy.
The AR-15 is not an assault rifle. The "AR" doesn't stand for "assault rifle", it stands for Armalite, the company that makes them.
This is an AR15, the sort of rifle that was used.
This is an assault rifle, specifically a M16A4
They are very different.
Both could be classed as assault rifles*. Both are gas-operated, both use the standard nato 5.56 round. Both, when sold to the public, are limited to semi-auto and limited magazine capacity.
The fact that the AR-15 is billed as a sporting rifle doesn't alter the similarities between the two. I've seen both hung on a wall in a gun shop in New Zealand, and they even had similar price tags!
What confuses me though is that if you want to shoot a deer, why not use a 5.56mm firing weapon that's far more suited to the job, such as a Swedish Mauser 5.56 bolt-action with a decent scope?
*Yes, the M16 has a fire-select switch. But I wasn't aware that non-military peeps were allowed fully automatic weapons.
I am with you on not using an AR-15 for deer, I would prefer to use a larger round, they can bleed out for a long time (which doesn't sound like any fun for the deer), you have to walk a long way to chase it down if your shot is off, and you might even lose the bugger putting it through a lot for nothing. It's definitely accurate enough to be up for the job and scopes can be mounted on them easily. It is, however, my favorite coyote hunting weapon.
It also happens to be my home defense weapon and if you learn a little about ballistics and choose appropriate ammunition you'll find it's ideal for such a purpose.
The term assault rifle is rather a misnomer. Basically in legal terms in the United States it means the gun looks scary.
"Semi-automatic rifles able to accept detachable magazines and two or more of the following:
Folding or telescoping stock
Pistol grip
Bayonet mount
Flash suppressor, or threaded barrel designed to accommodate one
Grenade launcher (more precisely, a muzzle device which enables the launching or firing of rifle grenades, though this applies only to muzzle mounted grenade launchers and not those which are mounted externally)"
It's a wikipedia quote but it's largely accurate.
Not much of this actually makes it deadlier, in fact none of it does, it just looks like a military weapon that possesses automatic fire.
However when you question the average military personnel about what they consider an assault weapon they're generally thinking of a squad automatic weapon m249/m240b. Basically something that fires full auto and has belt fed ammunition designed to produce cover fire for small unit tactics or hold a position. It's also black and scary looking so those who don't know anything about weaponry are easily persuaded that other weapons are also these weapons.
Now yes, as an American citizen you can own one of these weapons however you have to register with the ATF at rather exorbitant costs and can be prosecuted for moving without notifying them of your address change.
