BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Bill Moyers on environment, politics and Christian fundamentalists

in article , Scott Weiser at
wrote on 2/20/05 6:53 PM:

A Usenet persona calling itself KMAN wrote:

Assault weapons are commonly equipped with some or all of the following
combat features:

Let's debunk this:

First, the term "assault weapon" was coined by the press to describe
semi-automatic long-guns that were visually similar to military BATTLE
RIFLES or ASSAULT RIFLES.

Modern military battle rifles and assault rifles are select-fire,
shoulder-fired firearms that can fire semi-automatically or
fully-automatically.

You better tell your President, he uses the term assault weapons. And I
think he knows what he means be it - he means weapons meant for killing a
whole bunch of human beings quickly, slightly modified so that the trigger
has to be pulled repeatedly instead of just holding it down.

A large-capacity ammunition magazine, enabling the shooter to continuously
fire dozens of rounds without reloading. Standard hunting rifles are usually
equipped with no more than 3 or 4-shot magazines.

This is true.

A folding stock on a rifle or shotgun, which sacrifices accuracy for
concealability and for mobility in close combat.

The "concealability" statement is empty rhetoric. No non-class III rifle
legal in the US is less than 26 inches from end to end when in an operable
configuration. Hardly "concealable." This is why, contrary to anti-gunner
rhetoric, "assault weapons" are not the "weapons of choice" for drug
dealers. In fact, rifles of any sort are very rarely used by criminals of
any ilk.

As for mobility in close combat, this is true. It's also true that folding
or collapsible stocks are useful for storage and when carrying the firearm.

A pistol grip on a rifle or shotgun, which facilitates firing from the hip,
allowing the shooter to spray-fire the weapon.

"Spray-fire" is a rhetorical nullity, and the claim that a pistol grip
"facilitates" firing from the hip ignores fundamental human mechanics. It's
far easier to fire a Garand or a hunting rifle from the hip than to fire an
AR-15 from the hip.

A pistol grip also helps the
shooter stabilize the firearm during rapid fire

Not just rapid fire, but at all times. Nothing wrong with stabilizing the
firearm, it makes it easier to hit the target and gives the shooter better
control over the point of impact, which make it safer.

and makes it easier to shoot
assault rifles one-handed.

Blatant hogwash and tripe! Only the Terminator can shoot a major-caliber
rifle with one hand and expect to even come close to hitting anything by
design.

A barrel shroud, which is designed to cool the barrel so the firearm can
shoot many rounds in rapid succession without overheating.

Yes, so what? A "barrel shroud" is nothing more than a different sort of
stock, the purpose of which in any long gun is to provide a grip for
accuracy and protection from burns, which, contrary to this hogwash, can
occur after firing just a few rounds.

It also allows
the shooter to grasp the barrel area to stabilize the weapon, without
incurring serious burns, during rapid fire.

Or during any other sort of fire. Stabilizing the weapon is of primary
importance, and anything that facilitates it is good.

A threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor, which serves
no useful sporting purpose.

Except, of course, suppressing flash. Hunters and sportsmen do shoot
recreationally during low-light periods.

The flash suppressor allows the shooter to
remain concealed when shooting at night,

Complete bull****. A flash suppressor does absolutely NOTHING to reduce the
flash signature from IN FRONT of the firearm. It's purpose is to reduce the
flash visible to the shooter, to prevent blinding during low-light shooting.

an advantage in combat but
unnecessary for hunting or sporting purposes.

Whether it is "necessary" is not up to this twit to decide.

In addition, the flash
suppressor is useful for providing stability during rapid fire, helping the
shooter maintain control of the firearm.

Wrong. A "muzzle brake" performs that function, not a flash suppressor,
although devices may be designed to provide both functions. Once again,
maintaining control is a good thing.

A threaded barrel designed to accommodate a silencer,

Er, no, actually, they are threaded to accommodate a flash suppressor or
muzzle brake. That one can thread other objects on the same threads is not
the same thing.

which is useful to
assassins but clearly has no purpose for sportsmen.

Now here is a complete anti-gun biased falsehood. Silencers have plenty of
utility for sportsmen. The major utility is that it reduces the muzzle
report, which reduces or eliminates the need for hearing protection. Sound
reduction is also useful in eliminating noise pollution and annoyance to
neighbors. They are also used frequently when shooting varmints and vermin
to avoid scaring them off with the muzzle report.

Silencers are illegal

Another blatant lie. Silencers are perfectly legal in the US. Anyone who is
otherwise qualified to possess a firearm can own one. All you have to do is
file the tax paperwork with the BATFE and pay the $200 tax and you can have
one.

so
there is no legitimate purpose for making it possible to put a silencer on a
weapon.

Untrue editorialism. As I said above, there are plenty of legitimate reasons
why a person would want a silencer and a barrel threaded to accept it.

A barrel mount designed to accommodate a bayonet, which obviously serves no
sporting purpose.

Well, unless you get too close to a bear, where it might have some utility.
Still, it's a harmless feature. And I do mean harmless. I defy this twit to
provide a single example of a civilian crime committed with an "assault
weapon" with a fixed bayonet.
It's a cosmetic item that poses no danger to the public, but might be useful
if the particular arm had to be used by the militia or the military in close
combat.

====

I'm sure that's what the Framers had in mind...that a crack dealer can arm
his posse with assault weapons with a trip to the gun shack on the corner
and spray the local park with semi-automatic (or perhaps converted to
automatic) gunfire.

Ignoring for the moment that this almost never happens

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

he can only "arm his
posse" illegally, not from the local "gun shack," which is tightly regulated
by the BATFE, and only if he can pass the background check, at which point
the idea is that other law-abiding citizens will be similarly armed and able
to take out the crack dealer before any harm is done.

Yep, that's an important freedom to protect.

The important freedom to protect is MY right to have an assault weapon that
I can use at need to kill the deranged crack dealer and his posse if and
when he decides to shoot up the local park. That, and my right to have an
assault weapon so I can defend the Constitution and my fellow citizens
against tyranny.

Heehee. You wish you were God, don't you? You are sitting in your living
room right now with a grenade launcher just cursing the fact that the USSR
collapsed before you had a chance to take to the streets and defend your
fellow citizens.

In fact, I
understand that the USA is one of the best places for a terrorist to pick up
an AK-47 these days.

Wrong. AK-47's are fully-automatic battle rifles that are not available to
the general public.

So much for this line of crap.

My yes, you've certainly made me feel silly. I neglected to put the word
phrase "a variation of" in front of "AK-47."