Gun Control

Assault Weapons vs Hunting Rfiles - rev 5/25/10

by: Ron Drozdick (Rjdroz@MTAonline.net)

Fanatic : One who accepts without question any argument or information that supports his belief and rejects as self-evidently false anything that does not. (Quoting Me)

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Key Words: gun control, assault weapons, brady, statistics, atrocities, hunting rifle

First an aside: this is a valid question in that it tries to compare two types of guns designed to kill something which have some similarities. Please be aware that pretty much all guns are designed to kill people, animals, or targets which can be people or animals. There are other legitimate (more or less depending on your viewpoint).

· Target shooting, an Olympic sport with lots of in country meets.

· Collecting, usually by rarity or to acquire a ‘set’. Same as commemorative plates and stamps. Usually shooting these is an issue, more value to items in shoot able condition. For very rare and ‘unfired’ guns sometimes firing is a bad thing since it can decrease value.

· Reenactment/Role playing usually representing a period in history. Especially civil war but not always.

· Self protection which can mean any of the following:

o Preventing someone from approaching in the first place because of possible danger.

o Scaring someone about to commit a violent act so they leave without a shot fired.

o Actually shooting someone bent on a violent attack.. (The first two only work if the last is at least perceived as possible.)

· Various combinations including a family geared organization for western reenactment. The society requires you to dress appropriately, have appropriate weapons, preferably authentic. And has matches including marksmanship and quick draw competitions. There are branches in the strangest places including the Netherlands.

Q. What is the difference between semi-automatic hunting rifles and semi-automatic, military-style assault weapons?

A. Sporting rifles are roughly based on the WWI ’03 Springfield bolt action and the WWII M1 semi-automatic Rifle, and are intended to be used as weapons accurate at a distance. They are also intended to do a relatively high amount of damage when used with the right type of ammunition. They are intended to hit one target accurately, with the ability to fire a few more rounds if the first does not knock the target down. Assault weapons are shorter rifles based on assault rifles, with the capability for rapid fire of fully automatic rifles removed. They generally hold more, less powerful rounds, and shoot as rapidly as semi-automatic hunting rifles. They are not often used for hunting large game for this reason. They are used for hunting smaller game. They are used for target practice, having less recoil, and using less expensive ammunition. They are also used for home ‘defense’.

People who oppose banning assault weapons point out that they only look ‘scary’, but do not bring up the point that they are not particularly dangerous when compared to fully automatic assault rifles. Those who want them banned usually focus on ‘military’ or ‘combat’ features. And most certainly not on their use in violent crimes, since they are very unpopular for this function. About as popular as hunting rifles. Now Assault Rifles, when obtainable, are considerably more in demand for committing violent acts and are heavily controlled.

Opponents of banning assault weapons argue that these military-style weapons only “look” scary. Assault weapons look scary because they are equipped with combat features and look like military assault rifles. Combat features like high-capacity ammunition magazines normally equivalent to the capacity of two semi-auto hand guns like the police are seen to use on TV, pistol grips, folding stocks (rarely), and bayonet mounts, which are not found on sporting guns, which when found on fully automatic assault rifles which are designed specifically to facilitate the killing of human beings in battle.

These combat features include:

1 A large-capacity ammunition magazine is usually present since the military assault rifles on which they are based are intended to use 20 or 30 round magazines. That many rounds can be fired without reloading for either the assault rifles or assault weapons. The AK47 (Russian assault rifle) and the M16 (U.S. military version) are intended to use these magazines (see Wikipedia on the net). In a full automatic firing mode of on the order of 600 shots per minute, these military rifles would empty the magazine in about 2-3 seconds. Some few larger after market magazines are available, but not favored by the military since they are unwieldy and can damage the gun or magazine if they hit anything. In addition, the larger magazines have little advantage given the quick reloading. (Technically, these larger magazines are not military features) Typical hunting rifles are usually equipped with no more than 3 or 4-shot magazines because any semi automatic weapon (hunting or ‘assault weapon’) can only get a few aimed shots off before the quarry disappears.

2 A folding stock copied from the military was intended to allow a more manageable paratrooper weapon. Folding stocks in military weapons have no military value in concealment. The uniform kills that possibility. It does slightly enhance conceal ability, but not on one’s person. It allows carrying in a two foot+ container. An AK47 for example, is 34” long collapsing to 24” when a folding stock is folded. The shorter overall length when the stock is not folded when compared with a hunting rifle is (from a military standpoint) an advantage in maneuverability in close combat. The shorter length is a compromise reducing long range accuracy when compared with a hunting rifle (the original M1 is an effective hunting weapon for large game) but increasing accuracy over a hand gun. Actually

3 A pistol grip which facilitates automatic fire (600 shots per minute) from a military assault rifle from either the preferred shoulder position or ‘from the hip’ without losing control. From a semi-automatic assault weapon standpoint, it is less useful since one does not simply hold the trigger down, but must pull and release the trigger on each shot. This allows marginally faster recover for re-aiming. By the way, military assault rifles are select fire, have at least single shot and full auto mode. A pistol grip makes it borderline possible to shoot one handed since the 10 pound kicking thing is pretty much impossible to shoot remotely accurately.

4 A fancy barrel shroud surrounding the barrel for a hand grip is present to protect then user from the hot barrel on military assault rifles. This is not a new military feature as such since it dates at least back to the 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle. It is pretty much a military feature, apparently a safety one. The current ‘military’ version provides better insulation and heat dissipation for protection when in full auto. The fancy handguard but is largely cosmetic on an assault rifle, since you cannot shoot at full auto.

5 Many assault weapons have a threaded barrel. This can accommodate a flash suppressor which makes it more difficult to locate a shooter in the dark, an advantage in combat, but of little use and so of no importance with an assault weapon. A hunting rifle can, if anyone is interested, be rigged up with a home-made flash suppressor. More significantly, a well designed flash suppressor can increase control by venting gases in a direction that prevents (at least partially) the tendency of a difficult to control military assault rifle on full automatic to climb up and off target. As such it is of minimal importance on a semi automatic weapon and largely cosmetic. Remember the hunting rifle does not use one because it is only semi-automatic. Even though it has more recoil.

6 Many assault weapons with a threaded barrel can accommodate a silencer. A silencer, as I am sure you know reduces (but does not eliminate) the noise of firing. I quickly found on the web an article on how to make a silencer out of pvc pipe for your hunting rifle, As well as an article on the use of silencers in wildlife management. In other words, this is cosmetic.

7 Many assault weapons have a mount designed to use with a bayonet. Used to stab some in close combat. Never, as far as I have been able to find out, used to kill someone outside of the military. Definitely not found on hunting rifles. I would consider it cosmetic. Perhaps useful in reenactments.

8 Never mentioned by anti gun folk, the actual bullets are much less dangerous than a hunting rifle. As an example, when comparing a hunting rifle using the venerable 30-06 ammunition and the M16 military ammunition, the hunting rifle has about 2.5 times as heavy a bullet, roughly twice the ‘propellant’, and the whole thing is over an inch longer. There is some controversy about the M16 ammo, with many doubts about its effectiveness in causing damage. This hunting rifle ammo was developed for military purposes. An old 1903 Springfield has a sight that is calibrated to over a mile and a half. In other wards the hunting rifle ammunition can travel a long way and still do damage.

With the exception of the larger magazine capacity and lower potency bullets, there seems little real difference between hunting rifles and assault weapons. Those differences are carryovers from assault rifles and are largely cosmetic. Assault weapons are not suitable, in my opinion, for hunting larger game, but may be considered effective for hunting smaller game. They are certainly useful for home protection, especially since they look ‘scary’ and are more likely to frighten off bad guys.