re: #1019 republic

The hoo-hah over supposed “assault weapons” basically comes down to “guns that look scaaaaaary”. I own (legally) an AK-47 made in Bulgaria. It looks like it means business. But it is not an “assault” rifle, because to be used as such it would need to be fully automatic, i.e. fire away until you stop holding the trigger. It is just another semi-automatic, meaning you have to pull the trigger, release, and pull again before you get a second shot. (I know you know all this, just clarifying for the laymen among us.)

The media are often guilty of using the term “semi-automatic” as if it automatically meant something sinister. “After all, Don, the crime was committed with a semi-automatic handgun.” Cue shudders. In a sense, a semi pistol is no more scary than your S&W double-action revolver. Pull trigger once: get boom. Pull trigger twice: get another boom. Repeat until empty. There’s no way to “spray” with either type of gun.

If I wanted to go through the legalities I could have my AK modified to full auto, or if I were a criminal I would already have done so. But that’s another story.