Guard will be armed on border[and have the inherent right of self-protection]

San Antonio Express-News ^ | 05/26/2006 | Sig Christenson and Hernan Rozemberg

[oh8eleven]

News for you Mr. Blum, the M-16 IS a machine-gun!
The M16 is capable of automatic fire, but it is not a machine gun.

[Rakkasan1]

not mine..(not yet anyway)

[PVT4evr]

The M-16 is capable of 3 round burst and Semi-Automatic fire, the old Vietnam Era M-16s were capable of Full Auto, if I remember correctly. However, if you slap an M203 on there, then everyone has a merry Christmas

[brazzaville]

Good afternoon.
"Has he run this by W yet?"

More importantly, has he run it by Vicente.

Michael Frazier

[sean327]

"News for you Mr. Blum, the M-16 IS a machine-gun!"

Here is some news for you, the M-16 and it's varients are Select fire rifles, not Machine Guns. The modern versions of the M-16(from 1986 to present) can be fired in the semi-auto, and 3 round burst modes only. The older M-16A1,and the M-16 could be fired in semi, or full auto, but even these shouldn't be classified as Machine guns.

[garbageseeker]

Has the federal government and the state governments ironed out their differences on who is going to pay for the National Guard troops? I have a suspicion that the state governments are going to end up with the bill. I could be wrong.

[wolfcreek]

We're not going to be carrying heavy weapons. We're not at war here,"

I guess means they can't call in an airstrike.

[longtermmemmory]

suuuuuuuuure, he has the right to fire but no bullets will be issued and he may not have any bullets in his firearm...

(remember the guard at the airports)

[Richard-SIA]

It is not a heavy machine gun, it's too light a caliber to be a battle rifle, it's actually a legitimate assault weapon.

But by BATFE definition, it IS an automatic weapon, and a machine gun.

[Sender]

By BATFE definition, a whole lot of things can be called machine guns.

[oh8eleven]

the old Vietnam Era M-16s were capable of Full Auto, if I remember correctly
You do and I was in VN when my M14 was replaced with the M16. My first thought was - WTF?
But after moving the selector switch to "Rock & Roll" I was sold.

[Logical me]

"SOME" of them will be armed. SOME. Not all, but some. Has he run this by W yet?

Who cares what W thinks. He is selling our Country to Mexico. Over 1900 miles of border with 6000 Guardsmen divided into 3 shifts. That equates to nothing but stupid pandering to appease us. And add to that what the Senate has just done.

[Minutemen]

"But we're not going to be carrying machine guns"

Too bad because the Mexican Army/ drug runners are!

[FBD]

>"However, if you slap an M203 on there, then everyone has a merry Christmas"<

-well, that should pretty much take care of the rock throwers who harass our border patrol...
;^)