03Lightningrocks wrote:Before George bush senior gave the definition a negative connotation by banning them, we were not sensitive about calling any military looking weapon an assault rifle. Most folks still refer to a military looking weapon as an assault rifle. Just as most folks refer to certain rifles as deer rifles. B.B. (before bush), gun shows had signs all over the place advertising assault rifles. They had the typical semi auto military looking weapons under the signs.
All that changes when you get on gun forums which are typically inhabited by a more hard core crowd. Kind of like getting on a huffington post forum and calling a liberal democrat a socialist. Everyone knows that is what they are, but it makes them uncomfortable when you say it.
I spent years before then trying to convince others that by letting the anti-gun crowd redefine the term we were losing out.
I think a lot of the issue came into play because there were a certain segment of gun owners that figured we didn't need "those kind" of weapons for hunting. I took an AK47 to the deer lease one time. I took a ribbing like nothing I could ever describe. The big question was "what do you need that thing for". Along with ribbing about how many shots I needed and how many deer I planned to kill. Of course they were mistaken about what the RKBA was all about. They also under estimated the threat from the anti gun crowd.
Truth is... I don't really remember there being much of an issue with AK47's before the incident that caused Bush to sign the law in 1994. The label... " assualt weapon" conjures up sinister images now that did not exist before 1994. Back in the day, we use to make the distinction ... "full auto assualt weapon" or " semi-auto assualt weapon" . I remember most of us saw nothing sinister about either one. Boy has that changed! I even find myself correcting people on the terminology these days. The media calls it "assualt weapon" to dramatize the story.
You were definitely ahead of your time if you were concerned about the description of a semi auto AK 47 before that time in history. I might add... Correct about it also.
Here is some interesting history on the legal definition of assualt weapon and when it came into existance... 1994....
When I showed a Pasadena officer my "deer rifle" (made from an SKS)and the 52 round magazine, he asked those questions ... I answered "Oh, only 1 deer, and up to 51 other vultures/wildcats/predator animals/people who try to say it was THEIR deer."
He was
I'm no lawyer
"Never show your hole card" "Always have something in reserve"
03Lightningrocks wrote:Before George bush senior gave the definition a negative connotation by banning them from import in 1989, we were not sensitive about calling any military looking weapon an assault rifle. Most folks still refer to a military looking weapon as an assault rifle. Just as most folks refer to certain rifles as deer rifles. B.B. (before bush), gun shows had signs all over the place advertising assault rifles. They had the typical semi auto military looking weapons under the signs.
All that changes when you get on gun forums which are typically inhabited by a more hard core crowd. Kind of like getting on a huffington post forum and calling a liberal democrat a socialist. Everyone knows that is what they are, but it makes them uncomfortable when you say it.
I spent years before then trying to convince others that by letting the anti-gun crowd redefine the term we were losing out.
I think a lot of the issue came into play because there were a certain segment of gun owners that figured we didn't need "those kind" of weapons for hunting. I took an AK47 to the deer lease one time. I took a ribbing like nothing I could ever describe. The big question was "what do you need that thing for". Along with ribbing about how many shots I needed and how many deer I planned to kill. Of course they were mistaken about what the RKBA was all about. They also under estimated the threat from the anti gun crowd.
Truth is... I don't really remember there being much of an issue with AK47's before the incident that caused Bush to sign the import ban law in 1989. The label... " assualt weapon" conjures up sinister images now that did not exist before 1989. Back in the day, we use to make the distinction ... "full auto assualt weapon" or " semi-auto assualt weapon" . I remember most of us saw nothing sinister about either one. Boy has that changed! I even find myself correcting people on the terminology these days. The media calls it "assualt weapon" to dramatize the story.
You were definitely ahead of your time if you were concerned about the description of a semi auto AK 47 before that time in history. I might add... Correct about it also.
Here is some interesting history on the legal definition of assualt weapon and when it came into existance... 1994....
When I showed a Pasadena officer my "deer rifle" (made from an SKS)and the 52 round magazine, he asked those questions ... I answered "Oh, only 1 deer, and up to 51 other vultures/wildcats/predator animals/people who try to say it was THEIR deer."
He was
Sorry fellers. I took the liberty of correcting my time lines. For some reason, the older I get, the more my memories squish together...LOL. It seems like it was only days between Bush banning import of AK47's and Clinton signing the all out assualt weapons ban. I should have corrected it in my original post and did not...again...sorry.
I know of those who hunt with a single shot rifle and exhibit a contemptuous attitude towards those who use multi-cartridge rifles of any sort.
These same folks aren't especially interested in RKBA.
They fall into the category of elitist hunters who can't be counted on when it comes to supporting citizens who want semi-autos for home/defensive reasons.
I guess they assume single shot rifle owning for hunting's perfectly appropriate, but owning a semi-auto is for nut cases.
The hunters I have know were not what I would call elitist...LOL. Most of the guys I have hunted with are what I would call... "good ole boys". I haven't known any hunters who saw the owning of a semi-auto military style rifle for nut cases. More like they saw it as "cheating" when hunting big game. The very same guys would go out with an AR and pop varmits all day long. Every hunter I have ever known was definitely a believer in the RKBA. Just because they may be more willing to compromise on what weapons are considered appropriate does not make them "anti RKBA". the thinking you expressed Abe, could be seen as an elitist gun nut theory. Calling any hunter anti RKBA simply because they don't care if military weapons are outlawed is not a good way to keep the group together. We are all in it together... our job is to convince the middle of the road RKBA supporters that we have to stand firm on all firearms or risk losing all firearms.
03Lightningrocks wrote:Before George bush senior gave the definition a negative connotation by banning them from import in 1989, we were not sensitive about calling any military looking weapon an assault rifle. Most folks still refer to a military looking weapon as an assault rifle. Just as most folks refer to certain rifles as deer rifles. B.B. (before bush), gun shows had signs all over the place advertising assault rifles. They had the typical semi auto military looking weapons under the signs.
All that changes when you get on gun forums which are typically inhabited by a more hard core crowd. Kind of like getting on a huffington post forum and calling a liberal democrat a socialist. Everyone knows that is what they are, but it makes them uncomfortable when you say it.
I spent years before then trying to convince others that by letting the anti-gun crowd redefine the term we were losing out.
I think a lot of the issue came into play because there were a certain segment of gun owners that figured we didn't need "those kind" of weapons for hunting. I took an AK47 to the deer lease one time. I took a ribbing like nothing I could ever describe. The big question was "what do you need that thing for". Along with ribbing about how many shots I needed and how many deer I planned to kill. Of course they were mistaken about what the RKBA was all about. They also under estimated the threat from the anti gun crowd.
Truth is... I don't really remember there being much of an issue with AK47's before the incident that caused Bush to sign the import ban into law in 1989. The label... " assualt weapon" conjures up sinister images now that did not exist before 1989. Back in the day, we use to make the distinction ... "full auto assualt weapon" or " semi-auto assualt weapon" . I remember most of us saw nothing sinister about either one. Boy has that changed! I even find myself correcting people on the terminology these days. The media calls it "assualt weapon" to dramatize the story.
You were definitely ahead of your time if you were concerned about the description of a semi auto AK 47 before that time in history. I might add... Correct about it also.
Here is some interesting history on the legal definition of assualt weapon and when it came into existance... 1994....
Yes , I was ahead of my time, and now I can say "I told you so." I was concerned, still am, still fighting.
But did anyone else notice how the conversation morphed from a term with an exact definition, even if Webster's has it wrong, to an invented term that can mean anything at all?
And an Assault Rifle is, by definition, NOT a main battle rifle!
jimlongley wrote:
Yes , I was ahead of my time, and now I can say "I told you so." I was concerned, still am, still fighting.
But did anyone else notice how the conversation morphed from a term with an exact definition, even if Webster's has it wrong, to an invented term that can mean anything at all?
And an Assault Rifle is, by definition, NOT a main battle rifle!
03Lightningrocks wrote:Before George bush senior gave the definition a negative connotation by banning them from import in 1989, we were not sensitive about calling any military looking weapon an assault rifle. Most folks still refer to a military looking weapon as an assault rifle. Just as most folks refer to certain rifles as deer rifles. B.B. (before bush), gun shows had signs all over the place advertising assault rifles. They had the typical semi auto military looking weapons under the signs.
All that changes when you get on gun forums which are typically inhabited by a more hard core crowd. Kind of like getting on a huffington post forum and calling a liberal democrat a socialist. Everyone knows that is what they are, but it makes them uncomfortable when you say it.
I spent years before then trying to convince others that by letting the anti-gun crowd redefine the term we were losing out.
I think a lot of the issue came into play because there were a certain segment of gun owners that figured we didn't need "those kind" of weapons for hunting. I took an AK47 to the deer lease one time. I took a ribbing like nothing I could ever describe. The big question was "what do you need that thing for". Along with ribbing about how many shots I needed and how many deer I planned to kill. Of course they were mistaken about what the RKBA was all about. They also under estimated the threat from the anti gun crowd.
Truth is... I don't really remember there being much of an issue with AK47's before the incident that caused Bush to sign the import ban into law in 1989. The label... " assualt weapon" conjures up sinister images now that did not exist before 1989. Back in the day, we use to make the distinction ... "full auto assualt weapon" or " semi-auto assualt weapon" . I remember most of us saw nothing sinister about either one. Boy has that changed! I even find myself correcting people on the terminology these days. The media calls it "assualt weapon" to dramatize the story.
You were definitely ahead of your time if you were concerned about the description of a semi auto AK 47 before that time in history. I might add... Correct about it also.
Here is some interesting history on the legal definition of assualt weapon and when it came into existance... 1994....
Yes , I was ahead of my time, and now I can say "I told you so." I was concerned, still am, still fighting.
But did anyone else notice how the conversation morphed from a term with an exact definition, even if Webster's has it wrong, to an invented term that can mean anything at all?
And an Assault Rifle is, by definition, NOT a main battle rifle!
Agreed. If nothing else separated them (and there are other things that do), caliber alone would be enough. Intermediate power cartridges versus higher powered rifle cartridges.
I found out what was going on. There was an issue with a shipment of Bushmaster rifles, the salesman misunderstood and told the couple that they couldn't buy any AR.
