Ray writes, > ... Yes there are civilian analogs of M-16's but, except in rare > cases, civilians can buy only semi-automatics.
Basically correct IMHO - I won't quibble. > Are semi-automatic "assault rifles," protected by the 2nd amendment? Here I will quibble - "assault rifles" are "select fire" according to the usual military technical definition. That is, they can be switched between semi- and full- auto modes - which makes them a "machinegun" under the NFA. The "Assault Weapon Ban" was of "assault weapons" and did not include any select-fire weapons. It is a common error - often unintentional - to call these "assault rifles." > I think there are enough in circulation to make an argument that > they are in common use. I've seen numbers suggesting that there are perhaps a million or more AR-15 type rifles in private ownership in the US. (According to http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-117927.html there were a total of over 200,000 produced in 1999-2000.) The less expensive (semi-auto) AK-47 very well may be more common. > Do they play a large role in violent crime? No. > Is there any good evidence that the temporary ban on them reduced gun > violence? No. Most serious gang bangers have moved up to fully automatics > like AK-47's. ... The name "AK-47" is ambiguous - it is manufactured in both semi-auto and select-fire versions and they both are usually referred to by the same name. (I.e., it is as if the M16 and the AR-15 had the same name.) I think that the semi-auto AK-47 versions usually given somewhat different names (e.g. MAK-90, M-76, SAR-1 and many others - see, e.g., http://www.firearmsfirst.com/?p=16 for some discussion - this page uses AK-47 generically and refers to the select-fire version as the "True AK-47".) > My personal opinion, however, is that they are not a good choice for > home defense. Again I'll quibble, because I think this blanket statement doesn't take into account the many different living arrangements in our country. A firearm unsuitable for defense of an apartment in a city may be very suitable for defense of a home in a rural area where the next residence may be a mile away. --henry schaffer > ... _______________________________________________ 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.
