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Agreeing IP-43's use of the term "Assault Rifle" is inflammatory and not well defined (or in line with traditional definitions) I recently decided to look up assault rifle to see what Webster said, if anything...

I found this a bit disturbing... Somewhere early last year (by April or May at the latest), Merriam Webster (M-W) Dictionary added a second definition of an assault rifle:

1. : any of various intermediate-range, magazine-fed military rifles (such as the AK-47) that can be set for automatic or semiautomatic fire;
2. also : a rifle that resembles a military assault rifle but is designed to allow only semiautomatic fire

Source:
Definition of ASSAULT RIFLE

The first definition seems reasonably accurate to me

The second definition seems crazy... How can something that "resembles something" be the "thing" itself? If I had a car that looked like a Ferrari, but only had a little 12HP lawnmower engine in it, would it BE a sports car because it RESEMBLED a sports car? It would seem more like a flashy looking go-kart to me...

Then "Assault Weapon" is just as bad (and been that way since at least 2009):

: any of various automatic or semiautomatic firearms; especially : assault rifle

Source: Definition of ASSAULT WEAPON
...

I have a 1984 M-W Dictionary (an actual physical book), but it doesn't have the term "assault rifle" in it....

I have a 2004 M-W Dictionary (an actual physical book) that has the following definition:
"A military automatic rifle with a large-capacity magazine."
[Not bad for accuracy, though it doesn't mention "select fire"]

That said, sometime between 2004 and 2009 (as you can see below), "military automatic rifle" was changed to "automatic or semiautomatic rifle," but with the qualifier "designed for military use."

Here's a history of what I could find using archive.org to see how it was previously defined by M-W (most of these entries have a date of 1972 listed as the "first known use" of the term, though I think one suggested as early as 1964), but each of these entries shows how it read on the M-W web site at the time specified (when archive.org crawled their site):


April 24th, 2009 (one definition, but adding "semiautomatic" to the general definition found in my 2004 dictionary)
"any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles with large capacity magazines designed for military use"


Nov 11th, 2012 ("Concise Encyclopedia" entry added)
"any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles with large capacity magazines designed for military use"
i.e. Same definition as previous set of years, but now they added a "Concise Encyclopedia" entry for "Assault Rifle" on their page, stating:
"
Military firearm that is chambered for ammunition of reduced size or propellant charge and has the capacity to switch between semiautomatic and fully automatic fire. Light and portable, yet able to deliver a high volume of fire with reasonable accuracy at modern combat ranges of 1,000–1,600 ft (300–500 m), assault rifles have become the standard infantry weapon of modern armies. Their ease of handling makes them ideal for mobile assault troops crowded into personnel carriers or helicopters, as well as for guerrilla fighters engaged in jungle or urban warfare. Widely used assault rifles are the U.S. M16, the Soviet Kalashnikov (the AK-47 and modernized versions), the Belgian FAL and FNC, and the German G3
"


Oct 1st, 2013 (two definitions appear)
": a gun that can shoot many bullets quickly and that is designed for use by the military"
Full Definition: "any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles with large capacity magazines designed for military use"
Full Definition and "Concise Encyclopedia" entries remains the same, but they added a "not-so-full?" definition as the first listing...?


April 15th, 2015 (redirect encyclopedia entry to Britannica.com)
": a gun that can shoot many bullets quickly and that is designed for use by the military"
Full Definition: "any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles with large capacity magazines designed for military use"
(Same as above), but
Redirects Encyclopedia entry to Britannica.com, which reads:
"

Assault rifle, military firearm that is chambered for ammunition of reduced size or propellant charge and that has the capacity to switch between semiautomatic and fully automatic fire. Because they are light and portable yet still able to deliver a high volume of fire with reasonable accuracy at modern combat ranges of 300–500 m (1,000–1,600 feet), assault rifles have replaced the high-powered bolt-action and semiautomatic rifles of the World War II era as the standard infantryweapon of modern armies. Their ease of handling makes them ideal for mobile assault troops crowded into personnel carriers or helicopters, as well as for guerrilla fighters engaged in jungle or urban warfare. Widely used assault rifles are the United States' M16, the Soviet Kalashnikov (the AK-47 and modernized versions), the Belgian FAL and FNC, and the German G3. (See also AK-47; M16 rifle.)

Assault rifles operate by using either propellant gases or blowback forces generated by a fired round to force back the bolt, eject the spent cartridge case, and cock the firing mechanism. A spring then pushes the bolt forward as a fresh cartridge is fed into the chamber, and the gun is fired again. Cartridges are fed into the guns from magazines holding as many as 30 rounds. Many assault rifles have attachments for grenade launchers, sniperscopes, and bayonets.

In those countries where assault rifles can be purchased in the civilian market, their sale is subject to various restrictions, such as the elimination of automatic action and of the capacity to fire high-performance military ammunition.
"

Somewhere on or before May 31, 2017, as change was made that brings us to our current definition where they've removed the "not-so-full" definition:
": a gun that can shoot many bullets quickly and that is designed for use by the military"

and then they added the 2nd definition that includes the word "resembles..."

"
1. : any of various intermediate-range, magazine-fed military rifles (such as the AK-47) that can be set for automatic or semiautomatic fire;
2. also : a rifle that resembles a military assault rifle but is designed to allow only semiautomatic fire
"

Can't help but wonder if this changing definition is driven by political motivation or just common usage... Either way, I don't like the "resembles" definition...

Sent a copy of this info to OFF, just for the heck of it, in case they find it interesting/useful. :)
 
It all comes down to the milquetoast proggies who wet their pants every time someone says "assault rifle". Unfortunately the metropolitan areas in OR are filled with these clueless self absorbed dolts.
 
I keep several of these "Modern Muskets" around.

Modern-_Musket.jpg

Aloha, Mark
 

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