General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI watched the news this AM. I gotta ask
Why are they NOT calling this an ASSAULT rifle? Is this the NEW thing? They continue saying a long rifle. I sick of their attempts to cover up things. Did someone communicate with law enforcement to NOT use the word ASSAULT rifle? Pisses me off!
hlthe2b
(105,775 posts)If there is a loophole in the label/description of the various types of semi-automatic or high-volume-clip long guns, they will go nuts over it.
exboyfil
(17,917 posts)Yes an assault rifle.
The only important difference between that and the weapon used by militaries around the world is no feature for automatic fire.
mucifer
(24,635 posts)867-5309.
(1,189 posts)Walk and chew gum, media.
brush
(56,955 posts)At a quick glance from a distance it's actually a term which differentiates a rifle or shotgun from a hand gun/short gun. And the term also warns of the potential for there to be a high-capacity magazine attached.
crickets
(26,146 posts)and that is because it is 'only' semi-automatic. This is solely due to the trigger mechanism. The AR-15 is not automatic; that means it requires that you pull the trigger each time you want to fire. Well, that is unless you get a bump stock.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ar15s-are-basically-assau_b_10469112
WaPo, 2018:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2018/02/15/4-basic-questions-about-the-ar-15/
no paywall: https://archive.ph/fU3fq
It's all semantics. The gun is just as deadly or easily modified to be so, but gun folks are very touchy about making the distinction. The 'AR' stands for ArmaLite, the name of the company that manufactures it, and one of the reasons it's so popular is because it's the closest civilian version of the M-16 used by the US Army. Lovely.
iemanja
(54,465 posts)Last night, the media didn't seem sure. Though authorities have had time to look at it since.
Midnight Writer
(22,856 posts)I would prefer they use the term "AR", which is what the gun manufacturers themselves use. Everyone has a concept of what an AR is.