I was watching the news yesterday and they mentioned something about "assault weapons" and the ban that expired a few months ago. Now I'm wondering, what the heck is the real difference between an "assault weapon" and a regular gun? The news story was very vague and only showed people shooting full automatic guns, which if I recall correctly have never been legal to own. Thanks.

I made one error in the test...

Interesting stuff.

The government basically banned a bunch of rifles based on how they look (folding stock, threads for supressors, clips), and not based on their rounds, ammunition, or distance. There are rifles that shouldn't be banned, that are, and rifles that aren't banned that REALLY need to be.

JediKirby

what sort of rifles REALLY need to be banned?

Assualt rifles are rifles like the M-16 or teh M-4 carbine. THose are military models and aren't legal for sale to the public in the US. There are, however, semi-automatic versions of many of these rifles, like the AR-15, that you could buy at the local gun dealer or trade show. The only differ from their military counterparts in that they are not automatic rifles.

I think that if someone want to own a gun to legaly go hunting then good for them. as long a it is a non-automatic (scince if you miss on the first shot, the animal would be running away.) and they store it in a locked closet when not in use and store the ammo in a seperate locked storage compartment.

if, you want a gun for home defence, you realy only need a handgun as anything else would give an intruder a larger area on the weapon to grab on to. also, most intruders (even ones that want money for drugs) are smart enough to know that they will attract alot more attention for murdering the occupents without provocation. however, if you point a gun at them, it would trigger tensions and likely result in injury or death of somebody.

The idea is ridiculous. AK-47s were considered "assault weapons" I believe, but some Eastern European copies were not.

Automatic weapons are legal if you have a tax stamp or something.

The link explains who can have automatic weapons.

I can legally purchase a fully automatic weapon..but I'd have to jump through a /lot/ of hoops to do so.



There are no rifles that need to be banned. My 97yo 20ga shotgun is just as safe (or dangerous, depending on your perspective) as somebody's AR15.



The sound of a pump shotgun is one of the best deterrents anywhere -- line of sight isn't even necessary.

As far as 'triggering tensions'..you break into my house, and you sure as hell triggered some tension on my end. Bad idea.

If I point a gun at someone, the likely result is injury or death of /them/. There are two basic rules of gun safety..always follow them, and you'll be safe:

1) Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot
2) Never point at anything you don't intend to kill

CadetLee, I don't think I tell you I love you nearly enough.