An article in this morning's Northwest Herald (Page 3A) reported the recovery of an "assault rifle" during a traffic stop and pursuit by a Barrington Police Department officer.
The good work of the officer is to be commended. He observed a speeder and gave chase. The driver was captured after he eventually stopped, left the vehicle and entered another that was then stopped.
Here's my bone. The culprit was reported as having a "stolen assault rifle" in his possession. Probably the reporter used terminology given to her by the Barrington police report. The term "assault rifle" is frequently used in Illinois as a tool for setting the anti-gunners off on another crusade.
An "assault" rifle is usually the type of long-barreled gun that can be set to fire all rounds of ammunition during a single trigger pull. You pull and hold the trigger, and all rounds will fire through the weapon automatically without successive trigger pulls (versus a semi-automatic rifle, which requires a separate trigger pull to fire each bullet).
Assault (fully-automatic) rifles have been illegal in the United States for many years. Only military and police are allowed to have them and, even at that, only certain members of certain military and police units; for example, selected and specifically-trained SWAT team members.
What the Barrington Police most likely recovered was a semi-automatic, assault-type (look-alike) weapon. While these weapons might "look" mean, they function exactly like the semi-automatic rifle in your closet that doesn't "look" mean.
Police and reporters should be careful to state a classification of weapons clearly.
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8 comments:
Aren't ALL rifles used for some kind of "assault"? It's not like you're going to use a rifle as a ping pong paddle.
Karen12359, my rifles have never 'assaulted' anything but paper targets and dirt.
Assault rifle does NOT mean full auto. You can buy assualt rifles that are semi-automatic as in the AR-15. Of course you were never a real cop so you wouldn't know that. And for the few smart asses out there, that doesn't mean I am a cop.
Um...no, automatic weapons are not illegal in the United States.. see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A05KazfACLc
...And it is questionable whether Illinois State law against the same is Constitutional.
Exactly my point Stingray ... even a bb gun is going to be used to assault SOMETHING ... a target, the dirt, a window ...
Try again. In many states it is legal for private citizens to own and use fully automatic weapons. Illinois is not one of them. The GunControl Act of 1968 helped limit them (AND gave the Feds some more revenue) but did NOT make them unlawful to own.
Karen, I'm confused. Are you against guns or not? Because by your theory hammers assault nails, saws assault wood, scissors assault paper and so on...
I'm all for guns. Your right to carry etc ... Criminals will have guns regardless of the law, which leaves me unarmed and vulnerable.
My only point, is the use of the word "assault"
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