I Think I'll Buy An "Assault Weapon."
By Larry Simoneaux on 11/05/03
Last Saturday, however, I saw an editorial cartoon in the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer lampooning gun owners (and others) and I wish to offer the following with regard to "assault weapons."
To be sure, there are rifles that are assault weapons. These are gas operated, individually carried, magazine fed, shoulder fired, military weapons, designed for sustained and fully automatic fire.
Whew!
Short version: Hold the trigger back and that puppy will empty faster than some of us can read this sentence. As one might surmise from the cartoon, the lip moving while us gun owners are reading slows us down a bit.
You see, assault weapons are designed to put a grunch of bullets into the air all at once. This makes the bad guys put their heads down while you assault them. The idea works until said bad guys start shooting their assault weapons. Then, who's assaulting whom becomes less clear. Fog of war and whatnot.
Anyway, I want to buy a Browning Automatic Rifle. This rifle vaguely resembles an automatic weapon designed in the early 1900's but it is neither automatic nor does it have a large magazine. You see, I'm a hunter and I'll use it during deer season.
I might also mention that I'm nearly normal (raising three teenagers has taken its toll) and have been married for 32 years - to the same woman, no less. My last run-in with the law was a speeding ticket in1974. I (somewhat grudgingly) pay taxes and tend to regard all politicians with suspicion and a vague annoyance. I like songs with printable lyrics and movies where the good guys never cry. As you can see, I'm the very definition of a "gun nut."
I digress.
Many hunters use semi-automatic rifles. These rifles usually have a five round capacity and fire as fast as you can pull the trigger. If you've missed on the first shot, however, the remaining four rounds serve only to tell others just how poor a shot you really are. Such a rifle can also be described as an "auto loader" since that's what it's been doing all the while you were missing.
With the above as background, let's revisit the term "assault weapon."
There are rifles available that resemble their military counterparts. These are not, however, "assault weapons." They are nothing more than semi-automatic rifles with a large magazine capacity. The vast majority of Americans who own such firearms use them in a safe, legal, and responsible manner.
The problem that gun owners have with the continuous and inaccurate use of the term "assault weapons" is that we know there are those who would like nothing better than to ban all firearms. When such individuals propose laws banning "assault weapons," we generally find that their definition of such weapons encompasses all semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. As you might expect, we regard this as a bad thing.
The right to own firearms (you read it your way, I'll read it mine) is
spelled out in the Second Amendment. Further, when you research the intent of this amendment, it's clear that it has nothing to do with sporting arms. Rather, its purpose was to allow the citizenry the wherewithal to prevent the imposition of tyranny.
There are many who wish to eliminate gun ownership in this country. They have the right to try this. To do so, however, they should not resort to subterfuge aimed at achieving their goal. The continued and inaccurate use of the term "assault weapons" when referring to certain types of firearms comes across as just such a tactic.
One could liken such efforts to "profiling." That is, if something looks like an "assault weapon" then, certainly, it must be an "assault weapon." And, by the way, why isn't anyone hauling them all off and locking them up to keep the rest of us safe?
Substitute, if you would, the word "terrorist" for "assault weapon." Now sit back and listen for the howls from a certain quarter.
It's been said before but, wouldn't it be something if those who wished to ban "assault weapons" would expend their energy in demanding the enforcement of the thousands of gun laws already on the books and the harsh punishment of those who break them.
Were that the case, editorial cartoons that further divide those on either side of the gun ownership issue would never be published.
Unfortunately, this will never likely happen.
And, so, I guess I'll just go ahead and buy my "assault weapon" while I still can.
The noise from those extra rounds will certainly keep the deer moving.
http://www.americandaily.com/item/3342
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James Ehlers
Outdoors Magazine
www.outdoorsmagazine.net
