The_Dunedan

In perusing the various gun-control related threads on this board, I've noticed that some people have a difficult time understanding, or simply don't know, what certain gun-related words and/or phrases mean. Since the attempts to define such things usually get lost under all the retoric, here are some useful definitions of words and phrases which get thrown around alot.


"Assault Weapon" : This refers to a select-fire weapon ( machine gun ) which accepts a detatchable magazine and fires a light to medium-calibre cartridge. This could be anything from .22LR up to and including 7.62x39mm.

"Semi-automatic Assault Weapon" : Doesn't exist; see above. This is a term invented by ( I believe ) California senator Diane Feinstein which was used to hype the banning of certain weapons which look like real Assault Weapons, but which are incapable of full-auto ( machine gun ) fire. Functionally, such weapons are no different that a hunting rifle, they just look scarier. Many of their features, in fact, make them less accurate ( and therefore less dangerous ) than the hunting rifles many of us grew up around.

"A well regulated Militia" : The contentious phrase here is "well regulated." What many people don't understand is that, in the language of the 18th Century, "well regulated" simply meant "functioning in proper order." It had nothing to do with being ruled, regimented, or bossed around. It simply meant that something performed as it ought. This would, in the case of a Militia unit, mean that each person was correctly supplied, could perform certain basic Militia tasks, and could generally keep from getting his ass shot off in a firefight. It had nothing to do with "rules and regs" in the modern sense. In certain industries, the word is still used this way; a clock which has been stamped "regulated" is one which has been checked and certified to keep proper time, for instance.

"Sniper rifle" : This is simply any rifle which can be used to precisely engage discrete targets. The Russians found out the hard way, during the 1st Battle of Grozny in 1993, that even a .22LR squirrel-gun can be an effective 'sniper rifle' at close quarters, in the right hands. Carlos Hathcock, the most celebrated sniper of the US Marine Corps, racked up 91 confirmed kills with an ordinary deer rifle fitted with an ( at the time ) fairly ordinary 8x scope, both of which were purchased from a sporting-goods store on Okinawa. Functionally, almost any rifle fitted with a telescopic sight can be a "sniper rifle" under the right circumstances.

"Armor-piercing ammunition" : Some ammuntion, with Tungsten-Carbide cores, is specifically designed to pierce metal armor. However, most of the steel-cored "Armor piercing" stuff you see talked about nowadays wasn't designed with this in mind. Fact is, in certain parts of the world, steel is cheaper than lead. Since bullets are something which, by definition, one makes quite a lot of, it made sense for various companies to make their projectiles out of steel to save money. Such rounds do give much better penetration that all-lead bullets, but this was not their original purpose.
Additionally, almost any object will pierce almost any other object if you get it moving fast enough. Every centerfire rifle bullet on the planet can defeat the soft armor worn by police, and Grandpaw's old 30-06 will even defeat some of the trauma-plates worn by soldiers and SWAT officers. It's all a matter of velocity. As a consequence, attempts to ban "Armor piercing rifle ammunition" are really just attempts to ban all rifle ammuntion.

"Militia" : Many people are under the misapprehension that the Militia is now known as the National Gaurd. However, according to Federal Law ( USC Title 10, Section 311 ) the Militia is composed of two classes: The National Gaurd ( Organized Militia ) and Everyone Else ( Unorganized Militia ).
US Code
Title 10
Sec. 311. Militia: composition and classes

(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.

(b) The classes of the militia are -

(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and
(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.

The important part here is Paragraph a, which states that the Militia is comprised of all able-bodied males between 17-45, and all females who are members of the Nat'l Gaurd. In other words, all men aged 17-45 are members of the Militia, whether we like it or not, and women can be a part of the Militia as well, if they so choose.

Kadath

Link to info:
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/10/311.html

People exempt from militia duties:
So if you ain't one of those, grab up your gun. You can be pressed into militia duty!

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Scipio

Anybody know where I might find the nearest customhouse?

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"Erections lasting more than 4 hours, though rare, require immediate medical attention."

The_Dunedan

Look in Ports of Entry; someplace like New York or Boston should have a Customs Beurea office. Apply for a job there. This bit, in the modern sense, would also include persons employed at Customs Inspectors at airports and the like.

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"I personally think that America's interests would be well served if after or at the time these clowns begin their revolting little hate crime the local police come in and cart them off on some trumped up charges or other. It is necessary in my opinion that America makes an example of them to the world."

--Strange Famous, advocating the use of falsified charges in order to shut people up.

DelayedReaction

I hope that includes weapon designers.

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