Ask "what is an assault weapon" and get a million answers

Next time you see a "X% of Americans favor an AWB" poll keep this in mind:

In the Reason-Rupe national survey conducted from January 17-21, 2013, respondents were asked the following open ended question: "In just a few words, how would you describe an assault weapon?" The answers, as transcribed by the interviewers, are presented below.

None of these idiots know what they're talking about

We're supposed to be an intelligent society of high thinking humans, right? So why is so much legislation rooted in complete ignolrance?

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


Some people truly are media spoon fed fools. I did get a good chuckle out of some of the answers though.

What the report failed to mention, was that the responding body consisted strictly of 5th graders....

Actually, this explains alot. From another article about the company that conducted the poll...

The Reason-Rupe poll released today continues the trend of skewed polls that over-sample Democratic voters to produce results favorable to the president.

People have been brain washed into thinking any rifle that's black and has an extended magazine is an "Assault Weapon". Most are not even gun owners or have any idea of the weapons capabilities, it just looks evil.

This PROVES that these laws are to calm the fears of the people. They have no clue what the law is, yet many support it. It's no surprise to me that the average American is ignorant of the bigger picture and depends on the MSM and other fear-mongers to tell them what to think.

Even grown ups that are around firearms a lot have difficulty agreeing on it....

What is an "assault rifle" or "military style" weapon?

CX.

WOW, I see a lot of people who have been influenced by the Media machine. Most of these people have No idea what an Assaul Rifle is, and quite frankly I really dont think most people say that term ASSAULT RIFLE when talking about these type of guns. At least people who actually own these type of Guns. I would use the term either my AR or my Semi, but never Assault Rifle. its amazing how fast people can be brainwashed

Originally posted by Glassbender777

its amazing how fast people can be brainwashed

When there's just an empty space you can fill with any nonsense you want in an instant.

It helps when the person/people show no desire or drive to learn on their own.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


So I go to your link, thinking I'll Post a couple snippets.... I mean how long of a list could a group educated derelicts actually provide, boy was I shocked.....The Scroll just seemed never ending.... Then I almost spit Monster all over my screen, chuckling... I don't know about everyone else, some of these answers sound like a 4th grader answered them.

S&F thanks for the morning laugh.

I wonder if these pollsters are cognizant of how childish and ill-conceived their poll on this subject appears?
One of the basic principles in quantitative analysis of poll results is a consistency of responses that can be measured in some way, hopefully in a mathematically rigorous and (at least semi-) coherent manner.
Obviously, the primary tool that pollsters use to skew polls is the selection of the respondent base.
In these responses, it appears that the respondents were obsessively keying on the phase "in a few words".
These guys must be the Sorcha Fall of pollsters!

ganjoa

reply to post by ganjoa


The point wasnt to quantify data for analysis. The point was simply to see how a bunch of people defined "assault weapon".

Going by the "few words" these people responded with I doubt giving them space for 500 words would have made their responses any more coherent.

LIKE MACHINE GUNS OR SOMETHING THAT CAN WIPE OUT, LIKE IN THE CLASS ROOM THAT CAN WIPE OUT A LOT IN A FEW MINUTES

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


That being the case, it wasn't a "poll" in the typical sense (or in this case, nonsense).
I understand your point - but I'm having a difficult time understanding what the "pollsters" were trying to accomplish other than to make all the respondents out to be imbeciles. My apologies, if necessary.

ganjoa

reply to post by ganjoa


I dont think anyone called it a poll.

The "pollsters" themselves refer to it as a survey.

ETA: It does say "poll" here:

(More on the poll is available here and here.)

Nobody made them out to be imbeciles but themselves with their ignorant responses.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


I understand. I amend my statement to refer to those conducting the survey. What was their purpose anyway?
As we agree on the respondents' answers being absurd, it seems that the anti- or pro- "assault weapon" propaganda value of the survey missed the mark (facepalm). It was like a Jay Leno man-on-the-street comedy piece where he asks simple questions and gets ludicrous answers for laughs.

ganjoa

while reading that , I kept picturing jay leno doing one of his jay walking skits. i also thought that could have been taken from a congressional hearing.

I believe that the main point here, is that the term, "assault weapon" is just a blanket phrase redundancy, that someone coined to use in the mental conditioning of the general populous!

It's truly a ridiculous phrase, and has no merit as a definition at all!

But, those who use it "liberally" have constantly been trying to shape it into something ominus, that supposedly applies to scary black rifles, that can then be used to demonize, propagandize, and spin any story, into the agenda driving piece that they want!


GF~

Honestly.... these answers look like they came from children.

Pull trigger... go boom... = Assault weapon

If an assault is a:

physical or verbal attack: a violent physical or verbal attack

Then a mouth and/or anything will be the weapon used to facilitate the assault.

I guess if I storm a room with a high capacity bag of rocks my arm is now an assault weapon.

Originally posted by 11235813213455
I guess if I storm a room with a high capacity bag of rocks my arm is now an assault weapon.

By definition, yes; you are the weapon in this scenario.

The government is going to use very specific language as they take our rights; so probably should ensure we know what each of those words mean.

Without context, you are left with emotional discussions. We see how that divides the populous already.

Knowledge is the only weapon that will serve to defend us citizens; we cant afford ($) to fight the entire law firm of America the world.