RE: turn in your knives!

[Alex Eckelberry <AlexE () sunbelt-software com>]

I think that brings up a point that infuriated many gun owners.  The
so-called "Assault Weapons Ban" was inferred as a ban on "machine guns".
In fact, an "assault weapon" is not even a machine gun.  It's a normal
semi-automatic rifle that looks mean and ugly.   

Machine guns have been outlawed for over 70 years. (Semi-automatic
rifles are not machine guns.  You have to pull the trigger each time to
shoot a round). 

For example, the Ruger Mini 14 is a common "varmit" rifle on many
ranches in the west, shooting a .223 round.  The AR-15 shoots exactly
the same bullet, and also is a semi-automatic rifle (not a machine gun).
However, because it looks like a military rifle, it was the subject of
an "assault weapons" ban in California, and ultimately federally through
the national ban. 

It was a brilliant re-labeling by Handgun Control Inc. (the major backer
of gun control legislation) and resulted in the "man on the street"
being completely in favor of outlawing those "terrible assault weapons".
Of course, to anyone who had the faintest idea of the technical aspects
of the guns, it was ludicrous and laughable. 

This points out how reactionary the debate can be.  There is a
tremendous amount of confusion on the subject of guns (both for and
against them), which is exacerbated by the fact that most people have
had little or no contact with guns, and hence simply don't understand
their mechanics.   

I think if the debate can be framed without slick PR tricks, and in the
vein of common sense, it starts to become palatable to both sides, as
opposed to reactionary.

Alex


-----Original Message-----
From: funsec-bounces () linuxbox org [mailto:funsec-bounces () linuxbox org]
On Behalf Of Brian Loe
Sent: Saturday, May 27, 2006 3:51 PM
To: David Lodge
Cc: funsec () linuxbox org; Blue Boar
Subject: Re: [funsec] turn in your knives!

On 5/27/06, David Lodge <dave () cirt net> wrote:
> Most of those swords are useless replicas that would hold an edge for 
> about 3 seconds and break before they hit bone - not really much of a 
> threat...


Those that fear weapons of all stripes aren't concerned with threat
levels, just that it "looks ugly". The AWB was nothing more than a
restriction on cosmetics after all. Face it, if they fear inanimate
objects and not the people who use them they don't have the mental
capacity to judge much of anything, let alone threat levels.

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