ATBackPackin
Member
I don't think arsenal is a bad word, but what qualifies as an arsenal. The media said Holmes had an arsenal with all of four guns.
I cannot see how not to call it an Assault Rifle. The M-16 was designed and is used to assault enemy positions. It was NOT made for recreation, hunting, or anything else short of killing the enemy. Same with the majority of firearms. It is not the purpose of what the tool was designed for that makes it evil. It is the purpose in which man uses it that makes the man evil. Calling it what it is does not make it any more or less evil. Even if we called it a fluffy bunny that shoots hopes and dreams out its rear end will not help the image it portrays to antigun people. Calling it anything other than what it was made for is just IMO fortifying the cause that something is wrong with owning one.
I don't think arsenal is a bad word, but what qualifies as an arsenal. The media said Holmes had an arsenal with all of four guns.
A little history for you.
Eugene Stoner is responsible for the design.
He designed the Armalite AR-10. He scaled the design down and came up with the AR-15. "AR" does not stand for "automatic rifle" or "assault rifle." The "AR" stands for Armalite. Armalite also makes a pistol, the AR-24.
The military version of the AR-15 had full-auto enabled (later changed to burst mode). The military version is the M-16. It's an adaptation of the AR-15, which came before it (and after the AR-10).
Yes, the M-16 was adopted by the military, for military purposes.
And that leaves us with the non-military version -- which was made first -- the AR-15. Colt (see above advertisement) actually marketed the AR-15 as a sporting rifle.
So, while the actual military M-16 is a real honest-to-gawd assault rifle, the AR-15, which preceded it is not, and has never been sold/marketed as an "assault" rifle.
It's a rifle. It incorporates modern performance features and ergonomics.
Don't allow appearances to hinder your understanding of the technologies involved.
"Assault Rifle" is a technical term.
Let's try to keep our technical terms assigned properly.
And in return, I won't call your Camaro or your Porche a "race car."
Okay?
Armalite also makes a pistol, the AR-24.
Very good point about the use of the word "Sport". Perhaps "Semi-Automatic Utility Rifle"?
What's wrong with Semi-auto rifle?
The AK- and AR-based platforms are military long arms. Semantics, politics and bias don't change that. Call them what you will. They were designed to reliably deliver a large volume of sustained fire in an economical and mobile package. Regardless of what you call them it does not change their designed function. And, change the word and in time societal definition will make the new word just as divisive if it so desires. This is all a fool's errand IMO.
The AK- and AR-based platforms are military long arms. Semantics, politics and bias don't change that. Call them what you will. They were designed to reliably deliver a large volume of sustained fire in an economical and mobile package. Regardless of what you call them it does not change their designed function. And, change the word and in time societal defination will make the new word just as devisive if it so desires. This is all a fool's errand IMO.
I prefer " utility rifle".
The AK- and AR-based platforms are military long arms.
See post #47. And then look up a few posts at the actual issued military arms.
Then where's the 3 round burst or full auto option?
High Road or not, are we children here just trying to appear to win a debate instead of being right? Are you both really saying the AK- and AR-based platforms are not military long arms? Clearly you have have an agenda, as do the anti-gun camp, but oppositional comments like this are what make having anything reflecting a civil adult discussion impossible inside and outside camps. IMO these are the types of comments (e.g. refusal to establish a most basic standard of common definitions) that make the pro-gun camp look fanatical. Next we'll be argueing that 2A allows me to own an RPG, guns weren't made to shoot things, knives weren't made to cut things, clubs weren't made to hit things, .... I should have know better than to comment in the first place in this thread.