SURVEY RESULT &
EXPLANATION
As semi-automatics, the AR-15 and AK-47 are no different from millions of other firearms on the market and in the hands of hunters and sportsmen, be they rifles, handguns or even shotguns. One pull of the trigger equals one shot and the next round is then ready to be fired the next time you pull the trigger. Like all other semi-automatics, those firearms will fire as fast as the user can pull the trigger – and will do so until the magazine is empty. All semi-automatic firearms have been doing that since the first successful design was unveiled over 130 years ago in 1885. John Browning first introduced a semi-automatic shotgun to the civilian market in 1902 and Winchester introduced semi-automatic rifles in 1903 and 1905.
The generic AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle that fires a .223 caliber round and has a removable magazine with a typical capacity of 30 rounds.
The Ruger Mini-14 is a semi-automatic rifle that fires a .223 caliber round and has a removable magazine with a capacity of up to 20 rounds.
The only meaningful difference between the two is that
the Ruger has a nice wooden stock, is clearly meant for hunting and does not
have the menacing look of the AR-15 – the rifles are otherwise identical in
all material respects.
The Ruger was first marketed in 1973, so the design clearly was not tailored
to avoid the provisions of the assault weapons ban that was enacted much
later in 1994.
The Remington Woodsmaster .30-06 Rifle is used for
hunting deer, elk and even larger game animals. Functionally, however, it
and the many rifles like it are basically newer and better versions of the
M1 Garand Rifle, first produced in 1937 and carried into battle by millions
of U.S. infantry in World War II and later Korea. So yes, military rifles
are being used for hunting.
The venerable M1911 45 caliber pistol was originally
developed for the U.S. Army which wanted the additional stopping power of
the larger round after its experience against Philippine rebel forces. It
remained in regular use by the military through 1986, and some Special
Forces units still use the firearm. It is a popular handgun among civilians
who can handle the recoil of the larger round.
Semi-automatic firearms of all types have been
around and in regular use for well over a century now. Of the 300 million or
more estimated firearms owned by Americans, a high percentage of them are
semi-automatic in their operation; and that is especially true of handguns.
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Author
Note:
Like many young men growing up in the rural South, the author owned a .22
caliber rifle and a shotgun, both of which were used for hunting and sport
shooting. He no longer hunts and has passed the .22 rifle on to his son, but
he still owns firearms for recreation and personal defense. He is not a
member of the NRA and has no vested interest in the gun debate, but is tired
of hearing heated arguments presented on both sides of the issue without
bothering to learn the facts.