My Revolver is Semiautomatic!

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

baz

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Messages
988
So I'm reading the VA Gov's report on the VT shooting, and I come across this bit of informed wisdom:
Every person killed at Cho's hands on April 16 was shot with one of two firearms, a Glock 19 9mm pistol or a Walther P22 .22 caliber pistol. Both weapons are semiautomatic, which meant that once loaded, they fire a round with each pull of the trigger, rather than being able to fire continuously by holding the trigger down.
Click to expand...
Well, true, but then my revolver does the same thing.

And we expect sound policy decisions about guns, from people who don't understand them?
 
Shame on you Baz! I thought this thread was about the Webley-Fosbery automatic revolver the British manufactured a century ago. Seriously though, the writer of that piece was very uninformed about firearms. I thought journalists should attempt to get obvious facts straight, but this person even failed in that attempt. Such gross errors undermine my faith in a writer's ability, regardless of any ideological differences that might separate us.


Timthinker
 
Mr. Kaine (the VA Gov) may very well know the technical difference, and what he said is technically correct.

Every person killed at Cho's hands on April 16 was shot with one of two firearms, a Glock 19 9mm pistol or a Walther P22 .22 caliber pistol. Both weapons are semiautomatic, which meant that once loaded, they fire a round with each pull of the trigger, rather than being able to fire continuously by holding the trigger down.
Click to expand...

this is a point-of-issue matter. Ask yourself, what is the point here? What is he trying to differentiate between? It's simple folks, he was simply making the simple point that SMGs/assault-rifles/machine-guns/etc. were not involved.

Yes, you are also correct in noting that he did not complete the statement with the set of technical details regarding what happens in between those pulls of the trigger, but that doesn't make the statement wrong. On a daily basis every one of you make the same type of statement somehow or another and don't even think about it.

Example:

When you pick up the television remote control and hit "Power" are you really turning the TV on? No... not really. "Turning the TV on" implies that you - yourself operated the switch that completes the circuit necessary for the television to function. Did you do that? No. Instead, you pushed a button on a infrared-emitting device which then sent a signal in the form of light to a sensor on the television, which then in turn triggered a relay which in turn completed the circuit necessary for the television to operate. In fact, for that matter, the television was already somewhat "on" in the sense that the sensor and relay, components of the television, were already receiving power prior to any action on your part.

Despite this however, we commonly would just say, "I turned the TV on." We do this because otherwise we would lose the attention span of whomever we're addressing (as I likely have).

However, apparently according to the logic applied by some in this thread, failure to specify EXACTLY what happened when you pushed "Power" on that remote-control, makes you unfit for operation or consumption of television, and you sure better not ever even think about getting involved with any regulatory body that has any involvement with television-sets and related equipment.

:rolleyes:
 
Well if semi-auto is defined as the gun firing ejecting and loading a fresh round each time, it is accurate enough. I don't think the distinction that fresh rounds ejected and chambered each time in a semi is important vs the fact that a loaded chamber is rotated in a position to fire for each pull in a revolver. The purpose was just to say that the gun fired one time for each pull of the trigger. I think maybe you are all just nitpicking.
 
I have no problem with what was stated in your quote from the report. All is accurate and I do think they understand the distinction between a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol. Little things like detachable magazines come into play. Haven't seen a revolver with a detachable magazine yet unless you call those old black powder revolvers like Clint Eastwood used in the one movie as "detachable".
 
I have to say you are nitpicking here. The writer got the main point across and, yes, the more appropriate term would be a double-action revolver...but revolvers weren't mentioned in the quotation and probably not the article.

It's nice to see them get something right for once.
 
My revolver is semiautomatic

mateba.jpg
 
Despite this however, we commonly would just say, "I turned the TV on." We do this because otherwise we would lose the attention span of whomever we're addressing (as I likely have).
Click to expand...

How about them Dodgers?:p

Guntech, what is that?
 
Mateba Unica 6, semi-automatic revolver. Recoil in fact recock the hammer after every shot. One of the few semi-auto revolvers other than the Webley-Fosbury.
 
An apology is in order here. I misread the quote to include the term semiautomatic and revolver due to sleep deprivation. Rereading it after some rest, I do not find any problems with it. Sorry for the screwup guys. Loss of sleep sucks!
 
Last edited:
Every person killed at Cho's hands on April 16 was shot with one of two firearms, a Glock 19 9mm pistol or a Walther P22 .22 caliber pistol. Both weapons are semiautomatic, which meant that once loaded, they fire a round with each pull of the trigger, rather than being able to fire continuously by holding the trigger down.
Click to expand...
I find nothing wrong with this quote. In fact, it struck me as unusually responsible for the journalist to clarify what semiautomatic pistols do. Remember that for a lot of people who know nothing about guns, they hear "semiautomatic" and they think it means "machine gun". The terms "semiautomatic" and "fully automatic" are synonymous for those with limited knowledge about firearms. This journalist actually seems to be making it clear that the pistols used were NOT FULLY AUTOMATIC. Nothing wrong with the quote in my view.
 
ll is accurate and I do think they understand the distinction between a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol. Little things like detachable magazines come into play.
Click to expand...

So a broomhandle mauser isn't a semi auto since it doesn't have a detachable mag?
 
No, broom handle mausers are concentrated awesome.
Click to expand...

well.... yes.... as long as they have the shoulder thing that goes up. Whatever that is.

(what is a broom handle mauser?)
 
shc1 said:
I had a semi automatic transmission once.
Click to expand...

What a coincidence, so did I - after I got the car back from the Ford dealership, that is. A quart of tranny fluid and a solemn promise never to take a car to a dealer ever again, and all was well.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top