From: vojak@icebucket.stortek.com (Bill Vojak)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
Subject: Re: Waiting periods for guns and domestic violence
Date: 28 Jul 92 22:02:29 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Storage Technology Corp.


slzm9@cc.usu.edu writes:

>    The NRA seeks to keep the AK-47 assault rifle legal to the public.
> That is enough for me to know they are misguided. No one needs an
> automatic weapon with that kind of firepower for self defense. Gang
> members however find it an excellent weapon for turf wars.

 Bzzzzzt. Wrong! AK-47s are NOT automatics. They are SEMI-AUTOMATIC1
 just like a Ruger ranch rifle, and just about a zillion Remingtons,
 Colts, Winchesters and other such guns. AK-47s are made in a 
 Automatic varient, but that would require a Federal permit which
 is not easy to obtain. (You also sign away just about all of your
 rights such as having your home & all of your guns inspected upon
 demand).

 These AK-47s are no more powerful or deadly than ANY other semi-auto,
 and in fact, fire a much weaker cartridge than most PC lever, bolt
 and semi-auto "hunting" rifles.

 The only diff is that AK-47s are ugly, and look like a evil-baby-
 killing-nasty-icky-military-style gun. Also. If you think that
 gang member are using AK-47s for turf wars, read the FBI and major
 Police dept statistic on weapons they seize. Semi-auto varients
 of "Assault" rifles make up 2-5% of all weapons, (depending on
 area), and the most popular weapon by gangs is still the handgun.
 (its easier to walk down the street with a handgun in your pocket
 then a AK-47). About the only change is that you are seeing more
 semi-auto pistols being used by criminal, vs the old .38 & .357
 revolvers which they favored ~10 years ago. 

 Sarah Brady couldn't even find a AK-47 in the NJ police seizure
 room to put on display, while she preached to the crowd about how
 the streets of NJ were flooded with them.

 The whole reason the NRA "supports" AK-47 ownership is because they
 realize that there is no functional difference between a AK-47, and
 dads semi-auto Marlin. They also realize that most semi-auto "assault"
 style rifles are real wimps compared to grandpas pump-action or semi-
 auto shotgun.  It is the media and HCI who tout the AK-47, UZIs and
 such as "ultimate killing machines". The fact is, once you start 
 banning guns based only upon appearance or by PCness, you open the
 door to banning any gun for any reason.

 The NRA fights ANY unreasonable restrictions on firearms for the
 same reasons the ACLU fights  ANY unreasonable restrictions on
 the other 9 amendments in the BoR. 

 BTW: I don't own ANY rifles, semi-auto "assault" or otherwise.
 Although I have been looking at a nice bolt-action Marlin 883 lately.
 What it holds 12 rounds of ammo! Must be one of those high-power-
 assault-sniper-high-capacity-killing-machines. Good thing it's
 only a .22 magnum. If you think I'm joking, laws have been passed 
 that are so poorly defined that a .22 bolt action rifle is banned
 in some place just because of its "high capacity."

                                Bill Vojak
                                Bill_Vojak@stortek.com
                                NRA, ILA, CFC

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The CBS Nightly Propaganda With Dan Rather. (RATHER NOT!)
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Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns