What IS an Assault Weapon?

[Gunmeister]

I'm sure my question will raise lots of belly laughs and a chorus of "who doesn't know that ?" But seriously, what are these assault weapons that all the anti gun folks and political nay-sayers want banned?
During my 30 years of active duty I handled many different types of "assault" weapons, M4s, M16s, Saws, Master Keys and the like. Not to mention the 50cal in the door of the Huey I crewed during two tours in Nam (now that's an assault weapon).
Loosly translated (this is a question, not a statement of fact), aren't assault weapons those firearms that can be selected to fire Full Auto as well as Semi Auto? I was of the opinion that ownership of firearms that can be fired fully automatic required a special license and that it was against Federal Law to own such a firearm if you weren't licensed to have one. If this is true, what weapons are these people talking about? Its no secret to anyone that a knowledgeable person or gunsmith can modify most any semi auto firearm to fire fully automatic and that a bad guy who wants one will find one regardless of what the law says.
Please enlighten me, I really would like to know what all the political B/S is about.

 

[fletcher]

Assault Rifle (perhaps over-simplified): Any semi-automatic rifle which can accept a detachable magazine and has two or more of the following:

Bayonet Lug
Pistol Grip
Folding or Telescoping Stock
Grenade Launcher
Threaded Barrel
Flash Suppressor


Nothing in the Assault Weapons Ban (which is where all the ruckus is) makes any mention of select-fire or automatic...


EDIT: forgot a couple things, don't know where my mind was

 

[boofus]

In military terms 'assault rifle' is a select-fire weapon chambered for an intermediate round, with more juice than a subgun but less than a battle rifle.

The AWB version doesn't affect select-fire or full-auto only weapons. It only bans semi-automatics with too many 'evil' features.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Close

accept a fixed magazine

Any semi-automatic firearm that accepts a detachable magazine and has two or more of the following:

Bayonet Lug
Flash Suppressor
Folding or Collapsible Stock
Pistol Grip
Threaded Barrel

 

[P95Carry]

In a sense - you have answered yourself! Sorta!

My take ...... indeed select fire weapons can justifiably be called ''assault'' weapons .... due for most part I guess to the fact that any ''assault'' on an enemy stronghold will by default probably require the laying down of both suppressive fire as well as attritional. This requires usually full auto. I am for now - not including AWB type stereotype definitions.

The fact that this word has now been so erroniously adopted by the media and anti's .... shows that they will play on fear ... and call almost anything that looks like the ''real thing'' an ''assault'' weapon.

Go further into broad thinking tho and .... almost any weapon could be called ''assault'' ..... but only in as much as a firearm when used aggressively is potentially assaulting someone or something.

Much also gets included by the ''freak-out'' people ..... simply because they blame ''the gun'' .... and forget that that inanimate object requires a human input .... and THAT is the key issue. They however prefer to take the easy option ..... ''ban em' all'' ...... forgetting conveniently that one area in which ''ban'' has little or no impact ........ the criminal zone.

 

[hillbilly]

I would say "assault weapons" are any weapons used to commit assault.

That would include, for example, wooden baseball bats with railroad spikes driven through them.

hillbilly

 

[GigaBuist]

The 'assault rifle' term has a logical meaning in a military context. As others have said: select fire rifle chambered for an intermediate cartridge.

The 'assault weapon' term is a fabrication created by our politicians based upon entirely arbitrary and illogical standards.

Now, when our military starts leading "assaults" with the massively overpowered kill-everybody-in-the-room Beretta 92 w/ 15 round magazines I might give the "assault weapon" term some credibility.

Then Hell will freeze over.

 

[jefnvk]

I believe the term first came from the Greman STG44 (MP44). The STG stands for Strumgewehr, which translated turns ino 'assualt weapon' (or 'assualt rifle', can't remember right now). For those who don't know, it was the German's solution to a portable automatic weapon that could reach out and hit a target at a further range then say an MP40. Also, the MP44 (machine pistol) designation came from the fact that Hitler, in his infinite wisdom, refused to allow for an development of an assualt weapon. When he saw the effectiveness of the waepon though, he seemed to like the weapon better.

Edited to add: Oh, Assualt Weapon also sounds scarier than 'Semi-automatic sporting rifle'

 

[Tharg]

heh - So tell me -

just cause i'm feelin froggy...

if i own a weapon.... and it doesn't have any of the evil features... OTHER than the grenade launcher... is it legal? <eg>

rofl rofl

not that i could afford grenades... and not that it would be ANY good in ANY situation OTHER than an assault. (could you get like a shotgun grenade? that would be cool - a humongus shotgun blast type thing... be a lot bigger than a 12 guage... rofl) but "by that law" if that was the only evil accessory i had... its legal...right? heheh

sorry - like i said - feelin froggy.

J/Tharg!

 

[Hkmp5sd]

OTHER than the grenade launcher

Grenade launchers are legal, unless of course, you live somewhere like CA. Many of the C&R milsurp rifles, like some of the SKS', have grenade launchers.

 

[cuchulainn]

Anything that VPC/Brady wants to ban but cannot fit in your pocket.

Anything that can fit in your pocket is a "Saturday night special" or a "pocket rocket."

I wish I were being flip. Unfortunately, I'm not.

 

[sturmruger]

IMO there is no such thing as an "Assault Weapon" That word was invented because it provokes a negative response in most people minsds. The left is way too good at using to semantics! We need to do what we can to get better at using words against them.



Example: A guy that I worked with was kind of on the fence when it came guns. He thought people should be able to own guns except for those evil "Assault Weapons". After working on him for several months I invited him to my house to do some shooting, he accepted. When he arrived we talked about how the gun functioned and all of the safety matters for around 30 minutes before we were ready to head out back to the range. We started with pistols, then 22 rifles, and worked up to my Mini 14. I had about a dozen milk jugs filled with water for us to shoot. I shot the first half and told him to try and shoot the other half. While he was shooting the jugs I yelled "so what do you think about that assualt weapon John?" Up until that point he had been shooting very well for a guy that grew up in Chicago. Once I used the AW word he was pulling all his shots 5 feet high!!! It really unerved him that he was having all of this fun with an evil looking gun. In the end he had a lot of things to think about. He didn't go out and buy a gun, but he doesn't think AW should be banned anymore either.

 

[WhiteKnight]

An assault weapon, to many people, is simply any black rifle with a detachable magazine.

Synthetic Ruger 10/22s with factory 10-round BX-1s? You betcha.

 

[Treylis]

The STG stands for Strumgewehr, which translated turns ino 'assualt weapon' (or 'assualt rifle', can't remember right now).

Actually, it means "Sturmgewehr", which translates to "storm rifle", which is, yes, basically used in the same sense as "assault". See also Sturmtruppen, etc.

 

[GigaBuist]

Tharg,

As has already been pointed out a lot of milsurp rifles come with a grenade launcher. You'd load a blank round into the rifle and place the grenade carrier over the muzzle. The resulting pressure from the blank round detonating would send the grenade flying. At least, that's how I understand it. I've never tried it personally so the details might be a little off.

On the other hand a more modern grenade launcher (like the M203) is really a flare launcher. I believe the communist countries were using 37mm launchers while we stuck with a more potent 40mm round. I may be way off base but I -think- that your typical boat flare is 37mm's. The only difference is in the round that you fire out of said device.

Not only would grenades be expensive but you have to pay a $200 tax on them presuming your state would even allow you to do it. Each one is individually considered a destructive device. There's no bulk discount so if you want 5 real grenade rounds that $1000 to the federal government right there.

Regarding the shotgun bit, I understand that some of the practice rounds allow a 12 gauge shotgun round to be inserted into it to provide the firing blast. However that round must be totally devoid of any shot. You see, if you construct such a round you've created a destructive device. It doesn't matter that it's really a 12 gauge shotgun round in a bigger container. What matters is the size of the bore that it can be fired out of. That 37mm or 40mm bore is too big to be considered a shotgun therefore it doesn't meet the "sporting purposes clause" of the GCA '68. Hence, you're a felon if you do it.

Same round, same payload, different bore == felony.

At least, that's my understanding of it.

 

[Doc]

try this link it's pretty good

First, I need to define what I mean by an "assault rifle", as there are various definitions around. The one I use is:



"A military rifle, capable of controlled, fully-automatic fire from the shoulder, with an effective range of at least 300 metres".

 

[TrapperReady]

But seriously, what are these assault weapons that all the anti gun folks and political nay-sayers want banned?

The serious answer is that these are the weapons which look kinda scary and people who don't think through the issue would agree that "normal people" don't need. They are a convenient target for the propaganda of the grabbers.

I can't tell you the number of times I've described the sport of Highpower shooting to someone, and then have them tell me that "No one needs to own an assault rifle." However, if they are willing to engage in about 5 to 10 minutes of conversation, I can make them realize just how stupid the AWB is and how the ban is merely a starting point for the antis.

I'd feel good about this, but it is scary how many times I've had this discussion with gun owners... typically hunters.