Ignorant Politicians, and people

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I realise that you're busy, that you 'just don't have time' to get a good background knowledge on every issue in the nation... but if you're actually preparing to pass a law: please, for the love of all things soft and fluffy know what you are doing.

Major proponents of the Assault Weapons ban (get it into your thick skull that Assault Rifles are already functionally banned, and that 'Assault Weapons' are an entirely different cup of tea) don't know what most of the things they are banning are.
Most of them probably think that flash suppressors are silencers.
Nevermind that collapsing the stock of a weapon is more or less always a bad idea unless for storage.
If you need a compact weapon, just take a pistol... in fact, where are you going to hide this legally purchased civvy version of the UMP? Is that what the duffel is for?
And there seems to be this all-pervading idea that semi-auto weapons can be easily converted to full-auto. Where this comes from, I don't know, but a while ago Japan recalled air rifles because people thought that you could get them to fire .22s (nevermind that you have to havea .22 to do any such thing, and if you did, why bother?)

On top of which, if you're trying to kill people... do you really care if the weapon you used was legally aquired?

I could go on about other things, but I just don't have the energy right now. Next up: Bottled Water, now who's stupid?

[AFPheonix]

I don't disagree with you on the assault weapons thing, unfortunately because it has such a sensational name, it's a target for politicians who want to look like they're doing something for the safety of the people.

As for the bottled water, it's not entirely stupid, there are many places where the water available to people's houses simply isn't potable, and being able to go get a case of water is quite literally a life-saver.
But yes, the people who pay for ridiculously expensive water at gourmet water bars are a few crayons short of a box.
As for myself, I have a Brita pitcher and several water bottles.

[Daskinor]

I use filters to improve taste. Bottled water only for baking. Yeast hate fluoride.

[Tanasi]

Several years ago the city counsel of either Richmond, VA or Charlottesville, VA was up in arms about an advertisement that was passed around at a weekend gun show. The ad was for a company that made sights for guns that mounted to the side of the slide (for semi-auto handguns) so the "brothers" would have sights to use when shooting their guns sideways.
There was great outrage over this, firearms products directly marketed to inner-city folks, the streets would run red with blood and this product needed to be banned. This outrage went on for a few days making papers and MSM and even more outrage was vented. This was all well and good until they found out it was a fake advertisement and the product didn't exist. Some gun show dealer thought it was funny and passed them out amoungst the other vendors/dealers.
Then there's the US Rep for New York Carolyn McSomething. She sponsored a bill to ban certain cosmetic rifle attributes. While being interviewed about this bill she was asked what a barrel shroud was several times. She finally admitted she didn't know but thought it was something that flipped up over your shoulder. Well it's not, by definition a shroud is a covering, I know of no conventional firearms that place the barrel on your shoulder, so basically she was/is just a puppet of someone else that's doing the thinking.

AFP is correct not all places have desirable water. The tap water at my home is fine but the tap water at the office is affectioniately known as sea-monkey water. I don't drink nor cook with the office water but I'll will bring in tap water from home.

[Slytovhand]

Ok, I'll enter into this one a bit.

I'm not a pro-gun person, but even so, if there are agencies (read, lots of people) going to make decisions about things, then they really really REALLY need to know what they are talking about! Which is why I think it vitally important that we start having politicians in charge of things for which they are specifically trained and qualified - or at least well educated. And not just having sat in their office and read a few papers handed to them. Sure, that's what the 'experts' are there for...but still. Making decisions based on ignorance is just... stupid!


Bottled water? In western civilisation?? Meh! (except for those times when I'm really thirsty for just the H2O... I still don't like Melbourne water). But, if you want your water that much, but don't like it (like myself) - filter it!

[AFPheonix]

Not all places in Western Civilization have potable water. Lots of places are on wells, and depending on the well, can be pretty gross or downright dangerous. The well at the farm fortunately comes from water that is under the layer of basalt that coats the region and is quite good, although it has some significant amounts of calcium.

At my sister's old house in Hillsboro, however, the water table was much higher and the well had ridiculous amounts of iron and other minerals in it. Even with a filter on the well, you could literally smell the water coming out of the tap. It was nasty. It stained fixtures orange and was certainly not drinkable.

The water down in Klamath Falls tastes like bleach, it's so treated to kill off the bacteria that occurs in it. Bleah.

My trainer's neighbor has a well that comes off an artesian spring (pretty common in this area) and sometimes can get contaminated by the sheep farm up the hill from him, and sometimes in the summer can run dry.

Several of the migrant camps around here have to have bottled water because they don't have good water sources available.

All these examples are just in a 20 mile radius of my house with the exception of the Klamath Falls one, but that's still within my state.

[Rapscallion]

Well it's not, by definition a shroud is a covering, I know of no conventional firearms that place the barrel on your shoulder, so basically she was/is just a puppet of someone else that's doing the thinking.

I think it more likely she was trying to get voter sympathies by appealing to them. Unfortunately, she turned out to not know what she was campaigning about.

Rapscallion

[smileyeagle1021]

The ad was for a company that made sights for guns that mounted to the side of the slide (for semi-auto handguns) so the "brothers" would have sights to use when shooting their guns sideways.

of course you can tell that the people outraged over this have no clue about guns. Even having never fired a gun, just looking at one and how it works I know that firing a gun sideways is a bad idea. Most guns I've seen eject the shell from the right sight, most TV shows depict the 'brothers' holding the gun sideways with the right side up... that shell will be going straight towards your face... I doubt that anyone with any real firearm experience will fire like that for very long before realizing it's only a matter of time before they will get hurt by one of those flying shell casings (those things must be hot).

ETA- I don't know shit about guns... that's just my observation from what I've seen when other people are firing... someone more knowledgable is of course free to correct me

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Actually that is exactly what happens, even though the occasional casing will not necessarily go straight out the side (There have been times at the range when a casing will land on my hat or towards my face, part of the need for shooting glasses) shooting a gun sideways throws every one of those burning hot brasses up in the air only to fall down around the shooter.

As for sights on the side of a handgun... apart from the ridiculousness of the idea, do you really think that the 'gangstas' would use them to begin with? they obviously don't see the need to use the sights that come with it.

For what it's worth, and legislation allowing, I fully intend to put at least a light on my hypothetical CC handgun.

And to think that a basic accessory like that garners the term 'modified' by some of these anti-gun nuts... just this morning (I'll try to find the link) I found a article featuring a picture of a 'modified' AK47... which was a perfectly legal civvy version (no full auto selection) with a scope mount on it. That's right ladies and germs, a freaking scope mount which is not only not illegal, but incredibly mundane.

On a somewhat unrelated note, anyone who watches Penn and Teller's BS show, there is a very very good one concerning anti-gun legislation.

And on a really unrelated note, I just got a new Airsoft shipment in for graduation the other day, including a scope mount, Reflex sight, and sight guard for my MP5 among other things... and it is SWEET. And some Brit riot gear, also SWEET.

Pic:


As you can see, it's a simple bit of metal that allows me to mount everything from regular telescopic sights to a red dot as shown, which are becoming incredibly common. Either way, it's an accessory for the weapon, not a 'modification' which makes it sound like you've retooled it to do god knows what.

A scare tactic if ever there was one.

[Slytovhand]

Now, I've never fired an AK47... but I'm thinking... what's the point of putting a scope on it? It's not the sort of weapon that should have one on it!


Too bad they can't legislate against stupidity...yet

[Greenday]

Now, I've never fired an AK47... but I'm thinking... what's the point of putting a scope on it? It's not the sort of weapon that should have one on it!

Well, if it's on single fire, I can see why it'd be pretty useful. MAYBE even burst. But on automatic, it's damn near useless (so I'm guessing).

[lordlundar]

Now, I've never fired an AK47... but I'm thinking... what's the point of putting a scope on it? It's not the sort of weapon that should have one on it!

Assault rifles were made to be multi-role weapon, serving as a mid range sniper duty and then switching to a multi round sure kill with a flick of a switch. So a scope on an assault rifle isn't such a stretch.

Too bad they can't legislate against stupidity...yet

Never gonna happen. The entire government body and opposition would be behind bars. Not a bad thing in my mind, but they won't do something that would negatively affect them.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Well, if it's on single fire, I can see why it'd be pretty useful. MAYBE even burst. But on automatic, it's damn near useless (so I'm guessing).

Yep, that about sums it up.

But a scope mount may also be used to mount a red dot that doesn't provide any zoom at all (like the one pictured earlier) and is incredibly useful for close range use even when using full-auto.

I wouldn't put it past politicians to legislate against stupidity if only because they are so dense as to think that they are geniuses.

[Slytovhand]

Assault rifles were made to me multi-role weapon, serving as a mid range sniper duty and then switching to a multi round sure kill with a flick of a switch. So a scope on an assault rifle isn't such a stretch.

Oh, I know that... (had been looking at the HK416 on the web... )

I just thought the AK47 had a hell of a kick on it, that's all... so wasn't all that good at accuracy in the first place, tis all..

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Hate to post again so soon after a previous, but yes, the 7.62 does tend to have a nice kick all things considered, but it's the weight and ballistics which effect it's accuracy of range due to windage and bullet drop.

The AK in question was a 105 chambered in 5.56 with a standard side folding stock and AK weaver rail scope mount shown sitting next to a telescopic scope, red dot CQB sight, and for some reason, a flashlight

Oh, and if you want a REAL rifle IMO, check out the HK G36 series rifle, each varient a fine weapon indeed, but sadly difficult to aquire civilian freindly.

More on the subject itself, there are plenty of weapons specifically made as Assault Weapon ban freindly varients of the Military versions, such as the Sl8 (of the G36) UMC (of the UMP/UMG) and PS90 (of the P90).

Anywhoo, I always wanted to start up a collection of HK FN and maybe even Kalashnikov weapons, but most of them are pretty hard to get now. *sigh*