Point Click, Fire: An Undercover Investigation of Illegal Online Gun Sales

[SteveW]

152. To clarify, you should define an "assault weapon'...

"assault weapon" is a term of art used by gun-controllers and MSM; it is not often used by firearm owners and aficianados. This is the result of some intentional confusion by -- voila! -- gun-controllers.

"In a September 1988 report on 'assault weapons' that he prepared for the Education Fund to End Handgun Violence, gun control advocate Josh Sugarmann candidly observed: 'The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons--anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun--can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons. In addition, few people can envision a practical use for these guns.'"

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1568/is_n6_v27/ai_17491710/

Rather telling, the effectiveness of Sugarmann's deception, that the confusion continues.

I see very little specificity in your discussion. A primer: Remington has for generations made a semi-automatic rifle, Model 742 and its derivatives, chambered in powerful deer-rifle calibers, like the .30-06. On the other hand, the AR-15 and the AK-47 "clones" are usually chambered in significantly weaker calibers. The other main differences are with "looks;" you know, those "menacing looks."
While there was once a politically passionate argument to be made on the "looks" angle, as a matter of public policy there is no justification to "outlaw" something based on looks. Other notes: Less than 3% of all firearms deaths are accomplished with rifles -- and the so-called "assault weapon" is just ONE of the rifle-types in that -3% category. Again, what is the justification?

BTW, an "assault rifle" is capable of full-auto fire, not the exclusively semi-auto fire of the so-called "assault weapon." That is why this thing you wish to ban is no longer considered a front-line infantry weapon; in short, it is obsolete.

I don't know what you mean by a failing system. If it is the crime rate, those rates are down, and have been coming down for years. Please be more specific.