Bush said he favored extending the ban on assault weapons
that
expired last
month but had not pushed Congress to do so because he had
been
told the bill
couldn't pass. "Republicans and Democrats were against the
assault weapon
ban, people of both parties," Bush said. In fact, most
Republicans opposed
extending the ban; most Democrats supported it. The last time
it came up for
a vote, on March 2 in the Senate, it was passed, 52-47. Only
6
Democrats
opposed it, along with 41 Republicans. The tally shows that
most of the
opposition came from Bush's own party.
Assault weapons are commonly equipped with some or all of the
following
combat features:
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.
A folding stock on a rifle or shotgun, which sacrifices
accuracy for
concealability and for mobility in close combat.
A pistol grip on a rifle or shotgun, which facilitates firing
from the hip,
allowing the shooter to spray-fire the weapon. A pistol grip
also helps the
shooter stabilize the firearm during rapid fire and makes it
easier to shoot
assault rifles one-handed.
A barrel shroud, which is designed to cool the barrel so the
firearm can
shoot many rounds in rapid succession without overheating. It
also allows
the shooter to grasp the barrel area to stabilize the weapon,
without
incurring serious burns, during rapid fire.
A threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor,
which serves
no useful sporting purpose. The flash suppressor allows the
shooter to
remain concealed when shooting at night, an advantage in
combat
but
unnecessary for hunting or sporting purposes. In addition,
the
flash
suppressor is useful for providing stability during rapid
fire,
helping the
shooter maintain control of the firearm.
A threaded barrel designed to accommodate a silencer, which
is
useful to
assassins but clearly has no purpose for sportsmen. Silencers
are illegal so
there is no legitimate purpose for making it possible to put
a
silencer on a
weapon.
A barrel mount designed to accommodate a bayonet, which
obviously serves no
sporting purpose.
====
So, along with George Junior, do you now know what an assault
weapon is?
I'm sure that's what the Framers had in mind...
======================
Actually, yes. The fact that military and hunting weapons
were
not that much different then(or really now either)means
nothing.
The fact is they were protecting the right to arm for military
purposes, not hunting.
Are these weapons being purchased and used for military
purposes? As I said:
====================
That's not the claim. The claim was that they are what is
protected by rights. And actually, you have said nothing...
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. Yep, that's an important freedom to
protect. In fact, I
understand that the USA is one of the best places for a
terrorist to pick up
an AK-47 these days.
=====================
Ignorant spew... You're too hooked on hollywood for your
information, aren't you?