Chicago Tribune confuses rifle sling loop with grenade launcher

Time for the laugh of the day in an era where the media refers to to semi automatic rifles as machine guns, automatics, automatic pistols etc etc.

We see the media using the wrong terms constantly when discussing guns. “Clip” is used for magazine. “Automatic weapon” and “weapons of war” are two phrases used to describe a semi-automatic .223. Anything that has a pistol grip is called an assault weapon. People that have no idea of what they are talking about are doing a lot of talking. It’s frustrating.

Recently the Chicago Tribune published whopper of a terminology blunder. In an effort to describe the characteristics of an assault rifle they described a sling loop as a “Mount for bayonet, grenade launcher.”

They just assumed it was a bayonet lug or a "mount" for a grenade launcher. Plenty of detailed schematics in cyber space that could have given them all of the accurate information that they needed... Good stuff..

The original article was entitled “Just what is an ‘Assault Weapon’?”, contains a graphic of an AR type rifle with specific areas of the rifle highlighted in blue to illustrate the features of the gun that put the “assault” in assault rifle.

One area highlighted in blue, and circled for extra emphasis, is described as “Mount for bayonet, grenade launcher” when it is actually a small steel loop designed to hold a sling. The printed description of the sling loop was “A bayonet mount allows a daggerlike blade to be attached to the end of the rifle. It doesn’t change the function of the rifle, but can add an intimidating presence and allows the weapon to be used as a spear. A grenade launcher can also be attached, though possession of grenades has been banned by the federal government for decades.”

dailycaller.com...

The readers of the Tribune caught this "mistake" not the Tribune staff. Whatever happened to proper and accurate research? No one proofreading this article never even thought to clarify or verify anything.

In the picture, the lug is actually right above the sling swivel...
dailycaller.com...

It has to be intentional ignorance.

There is no legitimate reason in the world these days for anyone to be so ignorant of anything.

You can access all the information known to man while sitting on the crapper.

They're dumb and they have actively chosen to be dumb. These are the people so many trust to bring them the news of day and updates on important events.

Pathetic.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
It has to be intentional ignorance.

There is no legitimate reason in the world these days for anyone to be so ignorant of anything.

You can access all the information known to man while sitting on the crapper.

They're dumb and they have actively chosen to be dumb. These are the people so many trust to bring them the news of day and updates on important events.

Pathetic.

I call it the "Baby Bird Syndrome"... those afflicted require information to be chewed up and regurgitated for them to receive it. Just mash info in any way you want, puke it at them.. and they feel informed. I think its now a pandemic in the US.

reply to post by jibeho


That is what happens when the entire knowledge in a field comes from Hollywood movies and movie covers in general.

Its not lack of knowledge. They know very well that isn't a grenade launcher mount, but its more sensational to say it is. The media is owned and operated by the same people who want you, me and all civilians completely disarmed eventually. This is just a (laughable) scare tactic, not an innocent mistake of ignorance.

All this crap is really starting to piss me off. These people are going to push us to our limits and they are not gonna like what happens.

any gun could be an "assault" rifle if you use it for that reason.

and any gun could be a hunting rifle if used to hunt.

Incredible. I remember when journalists actually did their job, and, seldom would one see this kind of garbage. The article was checked for everything from grammatical, and, spelling errors, to factual verification of content for accuracy.
Nowadays, just slap that crap together and get it out. Who needs fact checks and accuracy of content?
We've got an agenda to push through here, people!

Good grief...


The current state of "journalism" seems to be anything but journalism.

It's just sad.