posted on Mar, 1 2013 @ 07:09 PM
Originally posted by Kali74
reply to post by Helious
I don't like guns, why would I know anything about them?
First off, Kali, I'm not trying to lump you in to a gun debate side because I don't know if you take part or care about it. It's rather the
statement made.
This is a trend of the anti-gun peoples. They will generally let it be known that they do not like guns and do not know anything about them. Is it
fair to say that these same people are anti-gun because they fear something that they know nothing about? And it's not just the day to day people I
have talked to about the issue, but the people who are faces of the movement. I have read many articles with gun misconceptions and mistakes.
I'm not saying you cannot like guns, however, if you are part of the debate on whether guns/certain guns should be banned, then you should probably
know the subject matter you're debating. Isn't that how a debate is won?
When I hear someone ask something like, "do we really need automatic hand guns?" I tend to cringe and wonder why people would even take the
person's anti-gun talking points as credible.
TEARMAN!!! This next part is for you.
Tearman asked if non-revolver hand guns are called automatic. Short answer: no. They are semi-automatic. Leading to my next point. "Semi-automatic?
It says automatic! Therefore it's automatic!!" Wrong. Semi-automatic weapons are not automatic weapons because they do not shoot more than one (1)
round per trigger squeeze. The reason for the name "semi-automatic" is to define a weapon that does not require to be "cocked" before the next
round can be fired. A pump-action shotgun, lever-action revolver, and bolt-action rifle are examples of non-automatic weapons. However, I have seen
men who can shoot 6 shots from a revolver faster than an average shooter can shoot 6 rounds from a semi-automatic pistol.
Another good piece of terminology to understand is the very loosely used term, "assault weapon/rifle." No American is able to legally own an actual
assault rifle. An actual assault rifle will commonly have a "selector switch" which is used to select the mode of fire the shooter wishes to use the
rifle for which includes a firing mode that shoots more than one round. As an example I am very familiar with, the M16A2 or M16A4 service rifles will
have a selector switch that will allow the shooter to switch the weapon from "safe" to "fire" or to "burst." The last part there is what defines
an assault rifle. While an AR-15 will have a selector switch, it only has two firing modes it can select. Safe and fire.
So, what was the whole point of all this rambling I did? It was to educate anyone who wants to know a little bit more. I think that people on each
side should have a good understanding of the weapons they speak of because making a mistake, such as Mrs. Obama, can throw a wrench in your debate.