What is an assault weapon?

Good question. No one has a clear idea of its definition because it simply doesn't have one. I just tend to think of an "assault weapon" is any weapon a Democrat doesn't want you to have.

IMO, any weapon. Including but not limited to a fork or steak knife. And that, is the legality that the libs are trying to set prescient for future bans if they get their way with the AR15.

This is one:

BTW, this is a ballot initiative not a bill. If the organizers can get 88,000 signatures it will go to the people of Oregon for a yes / no vote in November.

The HK SLR-8 technically is a semi automatic rifle chambered in a rifle caliber that is only able to accept (without modification) a 10 round magazine.

I believe there are several AK(VEPR) variants that are the same.

Sorry should have added that this is not something I am in favor of.

I am in favor of regulating criminals and criminal behavior not creating criminals by the stroke of the pen to show that we are doing something.

cslinger said:

The HK SLR-8 technically is a semi automatic rifle chambered in a rifle caliber that is only able to accept (without modification) a 10 round magazine.

I believe there are several AK(VEPR) variants that are the same.

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My point was the gun community didn't have any issue calling a rifle with a pistol grip and detachable magazine an "assault rifle" until those rifles started getting banned.

I just read the proposal. It is basically a copy of California's "Assault Rifle" ban. Current owners must register, transfer them out of state, or destroy the guns and/or magazines. Once registered guns and high capacity magazines can't be transferred in state. I predict this has a good chance of passing in the fall.

"Assault weapon" has no fixed meaning. It's whatever some deceitful anti-gun cultist wants to ban at any given moment. It covers anything from a 3mm Kolibri to the Paris gun.

The meaning keeps changing. Originally, it was the standard issue weapon, with an auto sear, which was furnished soldiers,
in order to implement an aggression or defense upon an opposing hostile force. Nowadays, politicians are making it mean
whatever they want it to, the first thing they do, when enacting a new legislation, is create their own new description of the term.
Which is like asking me to regulate Law College. I know about as much about it as they know about guns.

They generally take a rifle which looks scary, to them, get somebody who has owned guns for a while to label the parts, then they
call THAT rifle, regardless of what it really is, an "Assault Rifle". They name and regulate features, the same way you or I would
assemble the ingredients for roasting a Turkey, or baking a cake. With, unfortunately, similar results. We can blame ourselves, for electing
folks who wouldn't know their butt from a muzzle brake.

What is an assault weapon?

primalmu said:

Good question. No one has a clear idea of its definition because it simply doesn't have one. I just tend to think of an "assault weapon" is any weapon a Democrat doesn't want you to have.

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As in the case of the Oregon bill, it has been clearly defined......

It defines "assault weapons" as any semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine, any feature like a folding or telescoping stock, and that can accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

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As Danoobie states, the meaning does change, but when folks specifically spell out their definition, it's generally quite clear, even when it does not fit our own definition. We all have our own definition on many things. Ask the question what constitutes the best SD weapon and folks here will have a 100 different opinions. Terminology does not make a firearm any more or any less dangerous. It's the finger inside the trigger guard that does that.

This is one:

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/155/5813/1024/TEC1.jpg

The death-dealing Intratec Tec-22. As in .22LR. "Military grade weaponry" at its militariest grade.

I notice that the HiPoint carbine (even the pink one) is on the new ban list as well.

The term "assault weapon" was created by a gun control activist with the stated intent to confuse the public between semi-autos and actual military assault rifles. It is defined in any proposed legislation but the definition varies.

One of the few amusing things is that due to the superficial nature of the ban itself, superficial (but potentially costly) changes to the banned firearms often convert them into "not an assault weapon", making them legal once again. Banners, when cognizant enough to notice, are furious and call this cheating. What it really is, is fully complying with a law that is fundamentally flawed.

Robert said:

I've always taken it to mean a weapon the will fire in semi or full auto using an intermediate power cartridge. The FN FAL mentioned above is a battle rife in that it fires a full power cartridge. So to me an assault rifle is something like the STG 44 or a true AK, heck even a true M4 as all are select fire and use a lower power cartridge. But that is me.

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Right, so going back to the original SturmGewehr (Storm and Assault or interchangeable in German), the defining features were select fire, detachable box magazine, and intermediate cartridge chambering.

This seems to happen every time this subject comes up here: People are conflating the valid (though often misused) technical term “assault rifle” with the made-up political term “assault weapon”.

“Assault rifle” is a term coined by the Germans in WWII (“Sturmgewehr”) and refers to a select-fire carbine firing an intermediate-powered rifle cartridge. The term is a valid one, but it’s very often incorrectly used to refer to semi-auto rifles.

On the other hand, “assault weapon” is a made-up political term for a type of firearm that doesn’t actually exist. Assault weapon bans are designed to categorize and then ban scary-looking firearms based mostly on cosmetic features.

EDIT: In response to post #32, I want to make it clear that I’m not claiming the term “assault weapon” was invented by anti-gunners. I don't really know who first used the term. But it has never had a real definition (outside of various legal definitions) and is currently used primarily as a nebulous anti-gun political term.

They have that barrel shroud thingy that goes up. That, and they look scary. Where is my safe space? I feel a microaggression.

When I was in the army I attended the SF weapons course. Some years later, I worked there as a light weapons instructor myself. Our manuals stated that an assault rifle is a short, compact, select-fire weapon that fires an intermediate cartridge, such as 5.56, 5.45 x 39, 7.62 x 39. They use detachable magazines, and have an effective range of at least 300 meters. Rifles such as the M14 (M1A), G3 variants, and FAL's are called battle rifles, as they fire 7.62 NATO, and often don't have full auto capability. Civilian semi-auto only rifles of all calibers and other characteristics would also be excluded from this definition because they are not capable of full auto fire. The SKS doesn't qualify either, due to its 10 round magazine and semi-auto function. Neither does any version of the US caliber 30 carbine, due to its effective range of 200 meters. This information is also available via wikipedia. Interestingly, things such as folding or collapsible stocks, bayonet lugs, and flash hiders are not included in the Special Forces guide. Indeed, I have seen versions of about every extant SF-defined assault rifle that didn't have any of these features - such as early Russian AK's. It seems now that everyone who knows squat about firearms wants to re-define the term, and pass laws regarding firearms that do not meet the definition. So I guess the definition that I learned and taught was/is wrong. And for years I actually thought us Special Forces guys actually knew what we were talking about, and that we at least understood our equipment. What is an assault weapon? No idea. I thought I used to know, but clearly we were all wrong.

I guess it depends on who or what you are assaulting. Harvey Weinstein uses a different assault weapon than the Nazis did.

What ever the speaker or writer wants it to be including a screw driver or claw hammer.

This is an assault weapon:

This is a Modern Sporting Rifle:

Any object that is not one's hands, feet or other part of the body. A rock is an assault weapon, if a human assaults another with it. Poking another with the sharp end of a feather, in an malicious manner, makes that feather an assault weapon.
Any pillows used in the offense are high capacity magazines.

Sistema1927 said:

This is a Modern Sporting Rifle:
View attachment 782678

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The gun community’s new name for what we used to call an assault rifle. How old is the name “Modern Sporting Rifle”?

JSH1 said:

The gun community’s new name for what we used to call an assault rifle. How old is the name “Modern Sporting Rifle”?

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That's not what ANY knowledgeable and honest person called an "assault rifle", since it's not capable of full auto (including n round burst).

"Assault weapon" was, is, and always will be a LIE.

The term means exactly whatever the gun banners say it means at the time. Completely Orwellian.