Debate about Gun Control

[Bob Butler 54]

(06-16-2016, 07:53 AM)Odin Wrote: Here's a good post on Democratic Underground about the absurdity of the gun debate and the term "assault weapon".




These are functionally the exact same gun and yet only the top one is an evil "assault weapon".

In general I'm with you, but there are some features on the assault weapon that aren't really called for when the enemy isn't shooting back.  The lower gun is bolt action, resulting in a slower rate of fire.  It has no removable magazine, making it slower to reload, and making it impossible to shop for a larger magazine.  It has no bipod.  Is that a shock absorber on the back of the top weapon?  When hunting deer, does one worry about repeated impacts to the shoulder?

Some would argue, though, that potentially sometimes, when a civilian is using his weapon, the enemy is shooting back.

I recently watched a PBS town meeting where police use of military weapons and paramilitary tactics was discussed.  There is a policy where the US Military is encouraged to give or sell military gear to police forces.  This allegedly results in increasing the use of military tactics.  If one has probable cause that someone is growing pot in their home, does one enter the home in the middle of the night using battering rams, flash bang grenades and automatic weapons?  What happens when the flash bang lands in a cradle?  Does one expect someone woken up from a sound sleep to understand the situation and respond perfectly?  A strong case was made that too many jurisdictions are using excess force resulting in unnecessary loss of life.

But one point was made.  One reason the police are taking military weapons is cost.  Higher end civilian weapons are higher quality and better made than military stuff, but the military is giving away surplus.  Most cops would prefer an inconspicuous SUV to a military monster truck, but the budget says take the military stuff.

In the above pictures, note the metal stamped parts on the black gun, and the fancy woodwork on the civilian gun.

While the two guns above aren't really compatible models, if one is willing to put down the extra money there are civilian models that are quality wise better weapons without copying the mass produced el-cheapo but perhaps fashionable military style.