To conquer a nation first disarm it's citizens ( Archived) (57)

what is an Assault-Weapon?

The legal term "Assault Weapon" was most notably used first in the language of the now-expired Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994, more commonly known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004. The federal assault weapons ban specifically prohibited 19 guns considered to be assault weapons. These were all semi-automatic firearms, meaning that they can eject spent shell casings and chamber the next round without additional human action, but (as opposed to automatic firearms) only one round is fired per pull of the trigger. In addition to the 19 weapons specifically prohibited, the federal assault weapons ban also defined as a prohibited assault weapon any semiautomatic rifle with a detachable magazine and at least two of the following five items: a folding or telescopic stock; a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon; a bayonet mount; a flash suppressor or threaded barrel (a barrel that can accommodate a flash suppressor); or a grenade launcher. The act also defined as a prohibited assault weapon semi-automatic pistols that weighed more than 50 ounces when unloaded or included a barrel shroud, and barred the manufacture of magazines for both pistols and rifles capable of carrying more than 10 rounds.
OK?

you mean,the Political expedient term!
It has no bearing on the Technical Realities of the Weapons!
Remove the Flash-hider,Bayonet-Lug,etc,and its a semi-automatic Rifle!
Add it,and it becomes an Assault-Rifle!
Purpose of the exercise is to give grief to the Citizen,that's all,keep him off balance!
As a Friend of mine put it,"If you can't convince 'em,confuse 'em"!
Things got so bad,your Olympic Team had to come and train in Switzerland,because their Pistols and Rifles were declared Assault-Weapons!
Term is purely Legalese!

The first 'Mass Slaying' that came to world attention was that at Hungerford in 1987/8 and interesting that they have been happening ever since especially in the USA.

It's NOT the guns that are the issue.

It's the state of mind of the PEOPLE who are taking those guns and using them.

The thing to do is to look back at such 'sea change events' and see what preceded them.

In the case of the Hungerford Massacre - that happened about a year after the introduction of Prozac, and as the number of people given that drug and others of it's genre.

It's a laudable notion to 'ease mental torment' but when one of the side effects is to eliminate the humanity that's ruled by the normal inhibitory mechanisms ... these events are what follows.

Many people have had a bad day and expressed 'murderous thoughts' but they don;t ever 'do anything' because that normal inhibitory system prevents action ... they know it would be wrong. On a lesser scale, just look at some of the stupid things people do when they have 'lessened' their inhibitions with an alcoholic drink or two!

But, feed them certain drugs and combos and that inhibition is totally removed, as well as with it the sense of 'conscience' about right / wrong.

A person on such drugs then will, having had a 'murderous thought' simply set to and find the means whereby and the method of literally 'executing their intent'

First there's the need to resolve the (prescription) drugging problem that drives these behaviours, to take away the root cause.

I'll follow this with a second post, not related to drugging, but significant to the debate as another 'vital question' to be asked is 'Who benefits and who loses by the introduction of ANY new law'

This is a straight cut n paste, I havent checked the details line by line but the figures 'look about right' as I recall other articles and debates.

Begin:

So you reckon that American civilians should give up their guns ?
a few historical facts about gun control :-

In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control.
From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

In 1911, Turkey established gun control.
From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Germany established gun control in 1938.
From 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.

China established gun control in 1935.
From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.

Guatemala established gun control in 1964.
From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Uganda established gun control in 1970.
From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Cambodia established gun control in 1956.
From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th century because of gun control:
56 million.

It looks as though history would encourage people to hang on to their guns if only on the grounds of having the capacity to keep their government honest by having the neans to fight back against them!

Are 'People the enemy of The State?'

or

'Has The State become the enemy of The People?'