Posted on 03/26/2021 5:36:26 AM PDT by real saxophonist
Ahmad Alissa’s weapon: assault rifle vs. assault weapon
by: DJ Summers
Updated: Mar 26, 2021 / 06:02 AM MDT
DENVER (KDVR) — The Boulder massacre has highlighted again the difference between assault rifles, assault weapons and non-assault weapons against the backdrop of new proposed weapons bans.
‘We can save lives’; President Biden calls for tighter gun restrictions following Boulder King Soopers shooting Gun control and mass shooting conversations are all about categories. Alleged shooter Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa’s firearm meets some standards for “assault” but none for “rifle.”
Proponents of gun control legislation say every little bit helps, while opponents say weapons-specific regulations are largely arbitrary.
‘My son would have been deeply offended to know his death would be used to promote gun control’; Officer Talley’s dad speaks on King Soopers shooting
Assault vs. non-assault
The differences between assault weapons, assault rifles, non-assault rifles and carbines and pistols involve variations in capacity, purpose, looks, length and operations style.
Seven states and the District of Columbia currently have assault weapons bans, and the United States had an assault weapons ban enacted from 1994-2004.
Strictly speaking, an assault rifle is intended for military use and capable of firing in both semiautomatic and automatic modes. Since automatic firing is illegal in civilian weapons, definitions become fuzzier in the civilian world.
As with mass shootings, there is no universally-accepted definition of “assault weapon.” However, there are broad strokes that separate what regulators deem an “assault” weapon or “assault” rifle.
Regulations focus on a range of functional and cosmetic features that broadly define it as “assault,” though this list is not exhaustive.
Typically, they have semiautomatic firing capability, meaning they can be fired as fast as the trigger can be pulled instead of reloaded by some manual operation after each shot.
Regulations often isolate detachable magazines rather than internal or fixed magazines. They also typically isolate magazines with 10-30 rounds of capacity, which is generally higher than the average rifle’s internal magazine’s capacity.
Regulations will also isolate pistol grips as an assault feature, as opposed to traditional rifle grips which are less vertical and supposedly less controllable when firing at a rapid rate. While other rifles may have a fixed shoulder stock, or butt, an assault rifle may have a collapsible stock that telescopes or folds.
An assault weapon may have a threaded barrel, which allows a flash or other attachment at the end of the weapon. It may have a barrel shroud, which is a vented metal tube that fits outside the weapon’s barrel to prevent accidental burns from the heat of the barrel during rapid fire.
Assault rifle vs. assault weapon
The Boulder shooting involves the difference between “assault rifles” and “assault weapons.”
From police and eyewitness reports, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa allegedly used a “long gun” in the King Soopers shooting. Police recovered another handgun and a rifle case from Alissa’s vehicle. On March 16, Alissa had purchased a Ruger AR-556 pistol.
The Ruger AR-556 comes in two models – a rifle and a pistol. The difference between the two is minimal. Both can be chambered for the same caliber round – the .556 NATO round – as well as other types of ammunition. Both have collapsible stocks, optional barrel shrouds and optional 30-round detachable magazines.
The pistol model, however, has a 9.5 inch barrel, while the rifle model has a 16.1 inch barrel.
The difference between a rifle and a short-barreled rifle, or carbine, is a matter of inches and dollars. Anything with a barrel beneath 16 inches in length is technically not a rifle but a short-barreled rifle, carbine or pistol.
U.S. citizens are allowed to own and operate shoulder-fired short-barreled rifles with barrels under 16 inches long as long as they are registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Owners must also pay the ATF a special tax stamp for the carbine.
Firearms manufacturers have variations of their products that comply with either federal or state restrictions on assault rifles. Some have fixed or low-capacity magazines, some have no threaded barrels or shrouds.
Some, like Alissa’s alleged weapon, have shorter barrels.
Weapons were developed to comply with the 1994 federal ban on assault rifles. Some of those have been used in high-profile mass shootings. One of the Columbine shooters used a Hi-Point carbine, among other weapons present.
If I hit you in the head with a brick, have I not just 'assaulted' you with a 'weapon'?
By definition, his weapon was not an “assault” anything.
Funny they write his name “Alissa” to make it sound less Muslim.
Does he have a sister named Alissa?
No, it’s Al-Issa. They know exactly what they are trying to sell here.
The weapon used, a Ruger AR-556, is essentially a long-barreled pistol, legal in Colorado, and because the local ordinances on certain handguns were struck down, legal in Boulder as well.
While the firearm may LOOK “scary”, it is no more nor less “scary” than any other firearm chambered for the .556 rounds.
I know, it’s a joke. Alissa Alissa. 8~)
Absolute bull crap. “Strictly speaking, an assault rifle is intended for military use ...”. Wrong. This is yet another false argument that has been perpetuated by the anti-constitutional left. We are to believe that no weapon used by the military is to be used by civilians. The constitution has been under assault for years by gun grabbers. They take turns going after different types of weapons. Most recently it has been rifles, but if you recall there was once a significant movement to go after handguns. Are we to believe that civilians are not to own the equivalent of a M9 or M1911, just because the military uses those weapons? That’s exactly what they want the public to believe. What false name will the left give to pistols so they can include that as part of gun grabbing? What’s after that? They will go after weapons that resemble the M870, a shot gun, that already has the moniker, “combat shotgun.” Of course, they won’t do that, after all resident Xiden uses shotguns by firing them into the air to scare off home invaders.
That is one tiny round! Or maybe the author was talking about a .556 inch round....
Yeah, they don’t know what they’re talking about.
The Second Amendment specifically affirms my God-given right to own weapons of war. There's no mention of a military-only exception to that right.
Worse, they don’t even want to know what they are talking about. Facts destroy the narrative. The narrative is more important than anything.
Tru dat!
The Writer attempt to make the reader conclude the AR 556 pistol is just a short-barreled rifle.
CO law is specific as is ATF regulations.
In both cases, the Ruger AR 556 pistol is what they name says, a pistol.
Just another camel's nose under the tent !
Gradual and chronic erosion of protected 2nd Amendment rights.
This islamic insanity induced bastard went to that particular store to kill Jews and those who support Jews. The media are liars and propagandists for the dnc gestapo. In a crowded area the ‘assault weapon’ could just as easily be a Samari Sword
Are we to believe that civilians are not to own the equivalent of a M9 or M1911, just because the military uses those weapons?
= = =
How about condoms?
Does anyone in the military use them?
Funny how jihad is back in action to promote an agenda
A liberal acquaintance captioned a photo of a cop holding an 870 and called it a weapon of war. Riot length barrel, rifle sights, but otherwise a weapon of duck hunting. It didn’t even have an extended magazine tube.
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