[him a layin]

Anyone here own or experienced a Micro Roni? A friggin hoot!

i've shot a few PCCs. meh. i can see the appeal, like shooting a rifle without the recoil. still, meh.

[AzCal Retred]

How the AR-15 became 'America's national gun' and loved by the NRA
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65280361

[him a layin]

the "assault weapon" derives from yet another ww2 german innovation, the SturmGewehr44, literally "assault rifle 1944". an improvement over the earlier bolt action rifles and submachine guns, the STG (initially rejected by Hitler) was full-automatic-capable and had a pistol grip and removable box mag like the sub-guns, but fired an "intermediate" rifle cartridge, hence combining the benefits of range and power with ammo capacity and rate of fire.

i currently own 3 semiautomatic rifles which might or might not fit the definitions.

m1 Garand, blue sky Korean reimport, receiver 1943 by Springfield Armory. 8-rd en-bloc clip in internal magazine. 30-06.

m14(s), Polytech semiauto M14 clone. the receiver and barrel are chinese, but many USGI and aftermarket replacement parts. uses a removable box magazine, .308/7.62x51.

ar15, semiauto clone of m16. bushmaster lower, parts set upper. pistol grip, removable box magazine, .223/5.56x45.

of the three, the M1 has actually been to war in the pacific and korea. not usually considered an "assault weapon" because of the limitation of the internal mag, and lack of pistol grip.

the M14(s) can be considered an "assault weapon" due to the removable box magazine, and the USGI m14 is select-fire. some later variants added a pistol grip.

the AR15, (Armalite Rifle) derived from the m16 is semiauto, often called an assault weapon due to its box mag and pistol grip. the US poster child for "assault weapon", along with the russki AK47.

note that none of these fit the formal definition of "assault rifle" because they are semiauto, but are often loosely and arbitrarily defined as "assault weapons". the defining features of an "assault weapon" appear to be the box mag and pistol grip. other options which further complicate the definition are bayonet lugs (m1, m14(s)), flash hiders, and "bump stocks" which simulate full-auto.

confusing? you betcha.
defining features:
 assault rifle(technical definition): full-automatic capable, removable magazine, pistol grip, rifle cartridge.
 Assault weapon(legal definition): semi-auto, removable mag, pistol grip, flash hider, bayonet lug.

[AzCal Retred]

Hardware is hardware. Eskimos liked the .22 rimfire because they could carry a lot of ammunition, it was relatively quiet, had low recoil and it was a real step up from a sharp stick. The humble .22 rimfire has probably killed every Alaskan big game animal there is.

The Black Rifle is a .223 which was developed from the .222 which was a Remington varminting cartridge from 1950. There's nothing wrong with the Black Rifle, it's just a tool, it's neither good nor bad. Application makes the difference. Mental attitude of the shooter makes the difference. The Black Rifle has rather a cult following - not from its performance but from the intended application, warfare. Application in battle, seen in countless movies and videos, conflates to "if I possess one I'm a warrior" to many people. It has become a status symbol to many instead of a tool for harvesting game or recreational shooting. That's the source of the problem.

.223 ammo makes for relatively cheap "high power" shooting. There are many, many bolt rifles chambered for .223. It's much harder to blow off 500 - 1000 rounds in an afternoon punching paper with a bolt rifle than a civilian semi-auto AR15 Black Rifle equipped with taped-together back-to-back 30 round mags. Bolt rifles don't offer the option of bump stocks or crank-operated triggers to accelerate a spray of lead downfield.

So, for the sane of us without a Class 3 License, an AR15 can be interesting military memorabilia. But for those looking for some Juju to make them feel better, stronger, more powerful, more in control, the Black Rifle has a powerful allure with its ready accouterments and hi-cap magazines. You too can be Rambo/Seal Team 6/Apocalypse Now for $800 - ++$2000. Or a $600-$1200 M77 Ruger in .223 can provide perfectly satisfactory cheap, accurate varminting or paper punching, just without the Juju factor.

Right now in my rural area I'm listening to just such a cacophony or shots, some teen-brained eejit just blew off $40 worth of ammo in maybe 30 seconds. Apparently someone has a new hand-crank trigger activator. The question is why? What for - it's not mil-spec hardware. What's going on between those ears? Armageddon? Ruby Ridge redux? Worrying about Antifa? Who is he imagining is downrange?

[him a layin]

Mental attitude of the shooter makes the difference.

+1

[gizzo]

Right now in my rural area I'm listening to just such a cacophony or shots, some teen-brained eejit just blew off $40 worth of ammo in maybe 30 seconds. Apparently someone has a new hand-crank trigger activator. The question is why? What for - it's not mil-spec hardware. What's going on between those ears? Armageddon? Ruby Ridge redux? Worrying about Antifa? Who is he imagining is downrange?

What does it matter Why? As long as he's having fun, he can afford it and he's not bothering anyone, it's all good. It's no different to the guy riding the big GS to Starbucks when he could make the same journey on an electric bicycle.

It's not the owning and using that rises [rational] people's hackles. It's all the strutting, boasting and big noting that goes along with owning those kinds of weapons.

Stayin on topic, I just ran 3 extra long sticks of high temp hot melt through the Dremel this morning. Damn that felt good.

[him a layin]

apropos nothing, last month about 11pm i heard 8 quick shots, 9mm probably, and then after a minute the sirens. 2 local gangers taken to hospital. i live in a nice quiet town of 3,400 people. likely something about drugs. i hear gunfire here about once a month, usually nothing in the police report.

[AzCal Retred]

Here's some gun related stuff: Apparently murder-by-gun deaths are about 20,000 per year, gun suicides were about 25,000, pharmaceutical deaths are over 100,000 yearly and auto related deaths are about 40,000 - 50,000. Pharmaceutical lobbyists spend $370,000,000 yearly, the NRA & "gun lobbyists" about $10M - $20M depending on which numbers you look at. The Auto industry spent about $80,000,000. Gun suicides at 25,000 is'n a good statistic, but some life situations aren't really resolvable and in the USA we're supposed to have personal freedom. That would logically include when you decide it's time to pass on. The whole mental health issue is a separate & likely equally contentious discussion

I'm not defending gun deaths, but I am a bit tired of hearing about the "all-powerful NRA". The Lobbyist money spend doesn't really add up. What does add up is the 80,000,000 US gun owners that vote. That's the "all powerful" part, not the maybe 3,000,000 NRA members. They are under 1% of the population. I think that the gun laws need tweaking, licensing is likely a good idea, and making videos of yourself raving about your secret full-auto ghost gun or waving a firearm & expounding about how you have decided to take vengeance should probably get you a visit by BATF.

US pharmaceutical industry lobbying donations yearly:
Pharmaceutical and health product companies poured over a record $372 million into lobbying Congress and federal agencies last year, outspending every other industry and making up over half of all health sector lobbying efforts, OpenSecrets' analysis of recent federal disclosure filings revealed.
https://www.google.com/search?q=US+pharmaceutical+industry+lobbying+donations+yearly&rlz=1CANQDY_enUS1047&oq=US+pharmaceutical+industry+lobbying+donations+yearly&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l3.25747j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

pharmaceutical related deaths yearly:
More than 106,000 persons in the U.S. died from drug-involved overdose in 2021, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pharmaceutical+related+deaths+yearly&rlz=1CANQDY_enUS1047&oq=pharmaceutical+related+deaths+yearly&aqs=chrome..69i57.13470j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/05/gun-rights-groups-set-new-lobbying-spending-record-in-2021/
Gun rights groups spent a record $15.8 million on lobbying in 2021 and $2 million in the first quarter of 2022.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
What share of U.S. gun deaths are murders and what share are suicides?
Though they tend to get less public attention than gun-related murders, suicides have long accounted for the majority of U.S. gun deaths. In 2020, 54% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides (24,292), while 43% were murders (19,384), according to the CDC. The remaining gun deaths that year were unintentional (535), involved law enforcement (611) or had undetermined circumstances (400).

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394
US gun control: What is the NRA and why is it so powerful?
How big is the NRA?
Estimates of the NRA's membership vary widely. The association claimed that membership rose to nearly to five million in response to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook school in 2012. However, some analysts put the figure at closer to three million.

How influential is the NRA?
In 2022, the NRA received $97m (£78m) from membership dues. That is down by more than 40% from its peak year, 2018.
The organisation blamed the Covid pandemic for the fall.
However, the NRA still has a substantial budget which it uses to try and influence US politicians on gun policy.
In 2021, it spent $4.2m on lobbying, according to non-partisan US research firm OpenSecrets.
OpenSecrets' figures suggest that since 2010, the NRA has directed more than $140m to pro-gun election candidates.
The NRA also has considerable influence via its membership, many of whom will vote for a candidate based solely on their stance on guns.


https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/auto-accident/car-accident-deaths/#:~:text=More%20than%2046%2C000%20people%20die,12.4%20deaths%20per%20100%2C000%20inhabitants.

https://www.detroitnews.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.detroitnews.com%2Fstory%2Fbusiness%2Fautos%2F2023%2F02%2F09%2Fwith-money-on-the-line-automakers-amped-up-lobbying%2F69888403007%2F

[him a layin]

so arguably more effective to ban pharmaceuticals and cars.
 
as it happens i've been overmedicated with blood pressure meds and am currently pushing back on drs who keep telling me to use statins. the current one, lovistat, has a "rare side effect"(which i exhibit), sneezing and nosebleeds. which last 10-12 hours. no, i'm not taking them. drs bury their mistakes. f that.

[GlennF]

so arguably more effective to ban pharmaceuticals and cars.
 

Just ban teenagers.

[AzCal Retred]

.

[gizzo]

Just ban teenagers.

LOL. That reminds me of another SF short story where abortion was legal until the child reached something like 12yo!

[Leofric]

apropos nothing, last month about 11pm i heard 8 quick shots, 9mm probably, and then after a minute the sirens. 2 local gangers taken to hospital. i live in a nice quiet town of 3,400 people. likely something about drugs. i hear gunfire here about once a month, usually nothing in the police report.

    - and that's a nice quiet town ?!

[him a layin]

    - and that's a nice quiet town ?!

yes, it's a little disturbing. i've lived in cities like atlanta and tampa and towns of 300 and never seen anything like this. our local police are doing a good job focusing on a couple of problem areas and i've not heard anything since.

we're 3,400 people here. the next town over is 10X that, and it looks like their gang problem is trying to expand our way.

[AzCal Retred]

Ryan Busse has a lot to say on his Daily Show interview.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65328736
Teenagers charged with murder over shooting in Dadeville, Alabama
Two teenage boys have been charged with murder after the shooting at a 16th birthday party in Alabama that killed four and injured 32 over the weekend.
Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, were arrested on Tuesday night, police said.
Authorities said the suspects are each being charged with four counts of reckless murder and that more charges are expected.
A prosecutor said the suspects would be charged as adults.


Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America  Ryan Busse
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ryan-busse/gunfight/9781541768734/?lens=publicaffairs
A former firearms executive pulls back the curtain on America's multibillion-dollar gun industry, exposing how it fostered extremism and racism, radicalizing the nation and bringing cultural division to a boiling point.
As an avid hunter, outdoorsman, and conservationist–all things that the firearms industry was built on–Ryan Busse chased a childhood dream and built a successful career selling millions of firearms for one of America’s most popular gun companies.
But blinded by the promise of massive profits, the gun industry abandoned its self-imposed decency in favor of hardline conservatism and McCarthyesque internal policing, sowing irreparable division in our politics and society. That drove Busse to do something few other gun executives have done: he's ending his 30-year career in the industry to show us how and why we got here.
Gunfight is an insider’s call-out of a wild, secretive, and critically important industry. It shows us how America's gun industry shifted from prioritizing safety and ethics to one that is addicted to fear, conspiracy, intolerance, and secrecy. It recounts Busse's personal transformation and shows how authoritarianism spreads in the guise of freedom, how voicing one's conscience becomes an act of treason in a culture that demands sameness and loyalty. Gunfight offers a valuable perspective as the nation struggles to choose between armed violence or healing.

 
Ryan Busse - Blowing the Whistle on the Gun Industry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-m7NkBEFnY