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Thursday, January 17, 2013

What is an assault weapon?


It is what ever you call an assault weapon.  Automatic weapons?  Well automatic weapons (or as we said as kids "machine guns") have been strictly regulated since the 1930s in the United States.

The above rifle shoots a round every time you pull the trigger.  That's called semi automatic.  Most handguns now a days are semi automatic (going back to Browning's 1911 .45).  Many hunting rifles are semi automatic.  Many shotguns do the same.  A revolver is not strictly speaking semi automatic, but it repeats rounds as you pull the trigger too.

There is certainly no universal agreement.

h/t to Wombat Socho at TOM 

2 comments:

  1. Revolvers are either single action or double action. A single action revolver has to be manually cocked and then pulling the trigger fires the gun. A double action revolver, the trigger pull cocks and then drops the hammer. This generally requires more pressure on the trigger. (Called "trigger pull") Many double action revolvers can be manually cocked and fired single action, for greater accuracy. (Lighter trigger pull= easier to hold sights on target)

    BTW, a true assault weapon is capable of selective fire - the ability to fire more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger. These can generally be selected to fire semi auto, bursts of three or full automatic.

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