Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire I'd be happy to see "Assault Weapons" disappear....

...from non-military, non-law enforcement hands anyway. Now, I'm not saying banned. I wouldn't support a ban, confiscation, etc. I'm just saying if they (magically) disappeared, I think we would be better off. I've been around guns over half a century and they have been my main hobby all these years. Let me add, I've had many debates with liberals over the years about, "assault" weapons, logically pointing out the folly of seeing these weapons as more deadly/dangerous because they are painted black, have a plastic stock, etc.

I've shown many my Remington M08 .35 semi-auto circa 1906 and pointed out the main difference between this rifle and the typical "assault" type rifle is that it is not painted black, the .35 is a much more powerful and deadly cartridge than the .223 and my rifle is less likely to jam. True it holds less than most .223's but again, a rifle that jams is not to be coveted.

Again, I don't want to see them banned as of course, it is just one step closer to all of our guns going away. However, I don't like the culture that steadily builds around these weapons. I don't like seeing young people drawn to these weapons vs. hunting weapons. When I was a young boy and teenager in school, my friends and classmates had three topics: cars, guns and the fairer sex. We brought gun catalogs in school and passed them around. If the teacher caught us with one, he would confiscate it but only so he could read it and then would give it back.

The only black rifle that was around back then was the AR-15. I recall the sporting goods store I frequented would often have one on hand (probably the same one - they weren't a good seller). I would pick it up and shoulder it and it was a conversation topic with my friends. The bottom line was even though it had some appeal to all of us, none of us wanted one bad enough to save up for it.

For the past many years I have heard my gun show friends sputter a lot about these rifles. A common comment: "all the young guys seem to be after is those damn black rifles." I was at a bookstore yesterday and it seems the majority of the gun magazines focus on new, "assault" style weapons. This also includes the shotguns such as the Kel-tec bullpup that hold about 14 rounds and now a Sig that holds 16 shells (four tubes that rotate) and can be emptied in less than seven seconds. These are not designed for sporting purposes such as hunting, shooting clay pigeons, target practice.... These weapons have one main purpose - to kill others. And, I don't minimize the need to be prepared to defend oneself. If forced to defend myself, I would use a gun but an "assault" weapon wouldn't be my first choice.

I've existed side by side with "assault type" weapons. For most of that time my attitude had been more neutral. Basically, I don't ask that you like the guns I like; don't ask me to be excited about the guns you like. Again, to summarize, my main issue is the culture that is escalating around them. I would call it a culture of fear that I don't see as healthy. I am feeling more troubled when I see young teenage boys drooling over assault weapons.

So, I don't want to see anyone's black rifles and shotguns taken away, but if they just magically vanished I don't think we as a society would be worse off. I'm showing my age of course, but I would just like to go back to the time when no one had much interest in them.

Let me just close the last zipper on my flame suit....

I don't fish for bass. I think those small boats with huge engines are noisy and dangerous. I've read that kids waterskiing have been run over, hurt and killed by these over powered boats.

I want all bass boats to disappear. There should be laws.

Happy now? Same argument. Nobody "needs" a 16' boat with 240 horsepower.

There are 300,000,000 people in this country. You can have just 1 per month do something horrible and let the media and internet run with it to get everybody in a frenzy.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 was in response to what? It solved what? Nothing is what it solved, but it is this type of incidence that gets the gun grabbers fired up.

1. Your well intended thinking is what the communist leaders called "useful idiots". It is precisely why the Second Ammendment is in danger, precisely why Hitler was able to incrementally eliminate pesky constitutional laws and incrementally move a "civilized" nation into secret police and death camps. You think that you are only giving up a few rifles that don't interest you and that nobody really "needs". You are giving up the Second Ammendment and the whole ball game.

2. They are not assault rifles. They have a handle shaped like assault rifles. Changing the handle on a semi-auto rifle no more makes it an assault rifle than camo painting a VW bug makes it an Abrams tank. You know that, but using the anti-gun choice of words gives up the discussion before it starts.

I'm with you --here in military base heaven, florida -all you see at gun ranges is young soldiers and freak punks tattoed up -tactical this zombie that -double tapping everything blah blah blah .
There's a new range opening up that has rapid fire weekend every couple of weeks -I hear/read it a real ar -ak -black clothes party.
People report going there then leaving due to the unsafe nature of the place and the actions of the people there .
We all know that people kill people but all this tactical -zombie double tap crap need to be curbed -going to a gun range and shooting at people targets just isn't the way it should be !-The GOV't doesn't need to be involved in gun control -period -citizens need to be more involved and try to curb some of this silliness that is going on in the firearms industry -I believe many firearms producers are cutting their own throats.
I have no problem with AR's or any other guns -full auto for that matter -but to none gun people these Rambo wannabee rapid fire types scare them -they scare me too.

That was a completely unfair response, hatari. A better analogy would be how I feel about power boats. I don't want them banned, and I don't campaign against them. But I would like to see a world where there weren't so many people desiring them and selling their freedom (borrowing money) to acquire them. I would like more people to experience the health benefits of human and/or wind powered boats. But I can live with the present condition and even defend the use of powerboats.

I'm not even going to start. Oh, what the heck yes I am!

So take up all the "assault" weapons. Make them disappear. You'd still have M4's and ARs, because they are not "assault" weapons. They are simply high-er capacity semi-autos.

Any crazy could kill just as many 6-year olds with a gallon of gasoline. A Ruger 10-22 would be darned effective, too, with only a few 10-round mags. So would a machete. Two old fashioned wheel guns gives a crazy 12-shots. How many does it take?

God help me I hope I'm not giving any crazy any ideas, but you get the point? There is no limit to the weapons ready at hand if a crazy wants to do crazy things. The answer to crazy's is instant deterent.

Thanks, Hatari. You just saved me a lot of typing.

Boltman, you are misguided. Well intentioned probably, but misguided.

I'd like to go back to television that didn't portray the gay and lesbian lifestyle as perfectly natural.

I'd like to go back to a time when it was nearly scandalous for Loretta Lynn to sing about the pill.

I'd like to see young men keep a haircut that kept their hair off their ears and their collars.

I'd like to go back to carrying pistols that weren't made largely out of plastic.

It seems I was born too late.

Bingo!

It's interesting. I remember when Clinton started his gun control laws people who ordinarily would not have any interest in "black rifles" (though back then it was more about AKs) went out and purchased them in protest. Yes, I remember that well. In fact, people who had no interest in firearms at all went out and purchased AKs and their clones.

I have zero interest in "black rifles", never have and probably never will. I love shooting, hunting and collecting. My greatest passions are probably bolt action rifles and single action handguns. Bird hunting isn't that big of a deal to me but I do enjoy over and under shotguns. Basically, I love hunting guns. So, in the grand scheme of things, my firearms interests lie way outside of this "culture" you are talking about. With that said, give an inch and they will take a mile. Why? It's simple: any laws that they set up will not be effective. When these new laws don't work, they will make more and so on and so forth. And of course there is a more sinister agenda behind gun control. We all know the score.

I do not know what the solution to the problem is with our society with regard to violence. Well, I do. But many here are not receptive to a discussion about God so I will not push that. I'm not interested in arguing. All I know is that we live in an ever-changing society that is OBSESSED with the internet, TV, media in general and instant gratification. How can you fight that? We've lost the minds of a whole generation of children who are so far out of touch with the history of our country that they might as well have been born in the Soviet Union. They want gifts and services from the government. They want protection. They are oblivious to history.

It's not the arms that scare me as much either as it is the conversations in front of the counter on how many folks one can line up and eliminate with a specific bullet or caliber. That line of reasoning just plain bothers me, and I will never hang out with someone who uses that as justification for a purchase.

I own and use a ton of guns for hunting or recreational shooting purposes. None of my acquisitions ever had anything to do with penetration or destruction. Their applications are near always relevant to ballistics. There are places where the 22 LR is great, the 45-70 is just the ticket, and a 30-378 will be just the cat's ass.

For some unknown reason, I'm not a semiauto fanatic, but accuracy is a real turn on regardless of caliber.

You might get your wish.

Dianne Feinstein To Introduce Assault Weapons Ban On First Day Of Congress

For the most part, we aren't allowed to have assault weapons, but I have a semi-auto 223. It would make a poor defense against our peoples most dangerous enemy, which would be tyranny, which seeks to enslave you and me,,OP.

Along with death and taxes, a third certainty is that when someone attempts to express a thought on the Campfire, that thought will be (mis)interpreted by anyone who wants to see it as a threat to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, vilifying the poster, and attributing to him the very things that he attempted to disclaim in the original post.

Maybe another way I could phrase my wish: "I wish there was never any threat to owning a black/assault (pick your term - I do realize the inadequacy/incorrectness of the term) firearm."

Telling people they can't have something or they may not be able to buy something in the future is amazingly powerful. I'll have to talk to a liberal and see if I can't get them to see this. The Clinton ban did more toward creating a thirst (and hence growing culture) for these type weapons than any other event/act. I certainly agree - if you want to understand why there is such a desire for these weapons, look to the liberals and democrats.

I'm sure that boltman will take a lot of heat for his statements here, and I'm also sure that many--like the poster above--will misconstrue his thoughts as support for the banning and confiscation of "black guns" or "assault rifles" call them what you will. But I find myself nodding in agreement with much of what boltman has to say on this issue.

At 54 I have been a lifelong shooter, hunter, and gun collector, but much of what I see on dealer racks and at some gun shows troubles me. Stealth and rate of fire has replaced high quality, accuracy, and aesthetic beauty. Dealer tables look more like people are preparing for war than for hunting season. Like boltman, I find no interest in these guns; I find them boring and sort of pathetic and laughable. I pass them by in search of pre-war Savages and Winchesters.

Whether or not the strong presence of black guns causes an actual shift towards a more dangerous society is debatable (and no doubt we will see this debate unfold in the days and weeks ahead). What is certain however is the fact that the overwhelming presence of black guns on dealer shelves and in the sporting press makes people outside the shooting fraternity damned edgy, and it makes them question ALL guns and shooting sports.

In the year ahead, the shooting community is going to have to thrash this issue out. Are we in the hunting and shooting community willing to unquestioningly support black guns even if that will mean a backlash against the rest of us who have zero interest in their use? I don't know the answer.

Rod

I'd like to see people who want assault weapons to disappear.... disappear!

I would be HAPPIER to see detailed root case analysis/cause mapping of this incident (and other recent mass shootings) performed before any "simple solutions" are selected. No emotion, no opinion. Let's find out what led to what and assign action items.

When I say I don't like the current weapons culture I am seeing, I am also saying: I don't like what the liberals/democrats have done to us. I really don't like that a significant amount of our populace does not support the second amendment and a frightenly large number are opposed to it.