"High Power" in NRA shooting matches only refers to the fact that the allowed calibers, under the Match Rules, exceed .22. It's essentially a meaningless distinction. Like "Black Talon," the gun folks have OVERSTATED their position to make themselves feel better (more virile?). The really high energy round, 50 BMG, isn't shot in "High Power" matches. For the anti-gun people, who nearly always know absolutely nothing about cartridges, "high power" means anything that they don't like. For example, the 5.56x45mm round fired by most AR-15-style rifles has too little energy to be legal for deer hunting. The 7.62X39mm round fired by most AK-style rifles has less energy than the 30-30 round used by my grandfather to hunt deer (probably the MOST popular deer hunting round). The 7.62X51mm round used in the M1A and the FAL (and most Western army's machine guns) has less energy than the 30-06 round regularily used to hunt deer (probably the second most popular deer hunting round). "High Power" may be related to generally higher energy levels (what counts in killing) but it's a meaningless term because it encompasses everything beyond "small bore" or .22 caliber. ************************************************** Professor Joseph Olson, J.D., LL.M. o- 651-523-2142 Hamline University School of Law (MS-D2037) f- 651-523-2236 St. Paul, MN 55113-1235 c- 612-865-7956 [email protected]
>>> "Volokh, Eugene" <[email protected]> 02/02/09 5:32 PM >>> A quick question: Certain rifles and weapons are sometimes labeled "high powered" -- often by pro-assault-weapons-ban folks, but also by people who seem to support gun rights (e.g., people organizing certain shooting events). But I take it that the "power" of a shooting rests on (1) the mass of the bullet, (2) the design characteristics of the bullet, (3) the amount of gunpowder in the round, (4) the length of the barrel, (5) the accuracy of the gun, and (6) the size of the magazine. Items 1, 2, and 3 are functions not of the weapon but of the round. Item 4 mostly relates to whether the gun is a rifle or a handgun, and in any case to my knowledge isn't much thought of as a "high power" matter. Item 5 relates to total deadliness, but again in a way that I'm unaware is usually connected to whether the gun is a "high power" gun. And item 6 is a function of the magazine; though assault weapons bans do sometimes focus on the size of the built-in magazine or the intended magazine, many semiautomatic handguns and rifles can take magazines of varying sizes, including very large ones. But if this is so, then why the talk of "high powered" guns, not just from pro-gun-control people but also from others? Eugene _______________________________________________ To post, send message to [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/firearmsregprof Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
_______________________________________________ To post, send message to [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/firearmsregprof Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
