Sigh. It is my hope that, at least once before I die, I'll read a news report in which the author actually knows something about firearms & firearms nomenclature, and isn't a slack-jawed mouth-breathing idiot.
The Uzi is not an "assault rifle". An "assault rifle" is a seletive-fire weapon chambered for a moderately powered cartridge.
If the Uzi these teens had is the semi-auto only version (most likely) is is a semi-automatic firearm, and nothing more.
If it is the full-auto version, it still wouldn't be an "assault rifle". Since the Uzi is chambered for a handgun cartridge (9mm), the full-auto version is classified as a sub-machine gun.
Typo: seletive-fire = selective-fire
Which would put it into the pistol class.
I also liked the part about them being "easily concealed". I know the Secret Service used them and concealed them under large coats but a .25 auto is easily concealed, not a submachine gun.
Not the most accurate guns around either.
Well, look on the bright side. The only thing missing from this story is the typical media line: "Thousands of bullets could be fired in 2 seconds with the single pull of the trigger".
FReepers can contribute additional facts/knowledge that help put the "journalist's" bias in perspective.
In the days before the internet (and even today, to those who still rely on the MSM as their sole news source), one might have easily taken the bait: "Assault Weapons? In the hands of children?? WE NEED MORE ANTI-GUN LEGISLATION!"
Regardless of this author's attempts to make this piece about The Gun, these punks still had no business bringing a loaded weapon to school. Summary expulsion for them.
Moreover, either it is a pistol (which can have a short barrel and be concealed as in the Secret Service) or a rifle, which must have a barrel at least 16" long, if it is not specially permitted as a short-barreled rifle.
So, the writer was wrong in that it was concealeable, wroong that is was a rifle (assault or otherwise) or failed to note that it is a NFA weapon, subjecting the possessor to 10 years in the federal pen.
Wait a minute. The guns wer found THREE BLOCKS from the school and the school thinks they have some sort of authority over the matter?
Well, they got part of it right. The UZI is made in Israel.
Because of its short barrel, it can be easily concealed.
Because of its short barrel, it is not an assault rifle. Because of its ammunition, it is not an assault rifle. Because of the fact that it was not designed to be an assault rifle, it is not an assault rifle. It is not even a rifle.
If this reporter was writing about any other subject, such ignorance would get him fired. But you don't need to actually know anything about guns to know they're the Devil's playthings, at least according to the liberal gospel.
I saw the word "semi-automatic." I have a semi-automatic. IT is not an "assault rifle." In California the clip holds 10 rounds. I have to pull the trigger 10 times to get off 10 shots.
To me the real story is what were the kids doing with a handgun in the first place? Could it be, oh, I don't know, gang activity? The story does not even speculate about that even though I would think a gang arming itself and planning a "hit" would be a sensational story in itself without the morbid fantasies of a gun with demonic powers.
It was also noted that a pocket knife was found. Well, when I was in school I carried one of those Swiss Army pocket knives that had several blades and it also had a screwdriver, wire stripper, corkscrew and bottle opener. I carried it because I was a geek and the knife was useful for the electronics projects I was always building. Nowadays it would be seen as a high capacity (more than one blade) military assault knife that is also a bomb making tool (screwdriver, wire stripper) and no doubt just having a corkscrew and bottle opener is enough to make one an alcoholic, too.
Where is Mom? Where is Dad?
But what is my personal pet peeve is this......
"The knife and partially loaded clip were found...Dammit! It's not a 'clip' it's a MAGAZINE.
For any reporters that might be trolling be kindly advised: A 'clip' is used to hold the rounds so they can all be inserted into the rifles internal MAGAZINE at once (more properly they are named Stripper Clips).
The 03 Springfield uses 'clips', the M1 Garand uses 'clips' (that was the 'ping' sound after the last round was fired as the CLIP was expelled from the magazine), a 98K Mauser (and clones) uses 'clips', the Mosin Nagant also uses 'clips' to load the magazine. The only PISTOL (to my knowledge) that used 'clips' is/was the old Mauser Broomhandle.
And IIRC the only semiautomatic RIFLE that uses CLIPS is the SKS - again to load the rifle's ten round internal magazine.
Clips, clips, clips. I got their 'clips' right "here".
So why did the kids also need 15 round magazines, did they explain how to use the ... what's it called ... Ooo-Zee? And why were the magazines round so small - 9mm?
D'uh..... /sarc
An ASSAULT does not indicate a physical activity. An ASSAULT under the law is verbal in nature. The physical activity is when the violence occurs. Therefore a true Assault Rifle is one that SCREAMS loudly:
YOU WHINING, COWARDLY TREASONOUS LIBERALS ARE DESTROYING THE COUNTRY AND I'M GOING TO KICK ALL YOUR A$$E$!!!! There! That's an assault!
The accompanying violence using a weapon would make the implement used (if a firearm, especially a rifle) an Aggravated BATTERY Rifle.
But then I guess the rest of the sheeple inhabiting this country would start thinking of Phasers which by the way are also covered by the Second Amendment.
"This is a very dangerous weapon, and it could really do a lot of damage to several people,"
Five, anyways.
The UZI is not easily concealed..if it had a barrel shorter
than 16" the possesser better have a BATF letter stating
the tax paid on a SBR has been paid and local LEOs approved.