[demlosers]

Here in Nashville yesterday, I listened to our local AM conservative talk radio dude on the way home and he did not know what the difference between an assault weapon in reality as contrasted with what the "law" claims is an assualt weapon.

Yeah, what is an assault weapon now?

As I recall, an assault weapon was named to a class of rifles that have a high cyclic rate like a submachine gun and still retain the accuracy of a long rifle.

Another word bastardized by the left?

[Dan from Michigan]

I think that's an 'assault RIFLE'. Different than an assault WEAPON.....

At least today....

[dhuffman@awod.com]

You recall wrong. An assault rifle's salient attribute is select fire. That is, switchable between automatic and semi-automatic fire. All else is Barbara Streisand.

[El Gato]

As I recall, an assault weapon was named to a class of rifles that have a high cyclic rate like a submachine gun and still retain the accuracy of a long rifle.

Other than in the Assault Weapon ban part of the US Code, there is no such thing as an assault weapon. The Army/DoD does define an "Assault rifle", which is a select fire (full auto and/or burst and semi-auto selectable) rifle firing an intermediate power catridge. Nothing do with flash suppressors, pistol grips or bayonet lugs, although most or all have those features. A "battle rifle", OTOH, has a similar definition, but fires a full power catridge, such as 30-06/(.308/7.62x51) or 7.62X54R. Examples of assault rifles would be the M-16, AUG-9, AK-74/AK-47, FNC and so forth. Examples of a battle rifle would include M-14 (no pistol grip, but that's not germain to the definition), H&K G-3, FN/FAL (in all it's guises) etc.