Letter to Helmke
This might be a good time to clear the air as well about the term “military assault rifle,” a term you use carelessly at best. The important civilian distinction lies not in such esoteric terminology, but in how fast and how much the weapon shoots, which brings us to the only important determination. Is the weapon semi-automatic? That is, does it shoot once each time the trigger is pulled? Or is it fully automatic, meaning that it continues to fire on one trigger pull until the trigger is released or the ammunition is expended?
Essentially all modern military assault rifles are fully automatic.
April 9th, 2007 at 11:07 am
I thought that most assault rifles were select fire. Which would mean that you have a choice between semi-automatic and either 3-round burst or fully automatic.
Aside from cartridge length, I always thought the critical difference between an assault rifle and any other civilian rifle was the selector switch.
Incidentally, is an M1 carbine with a selector switch an assault rifle or a sub-machine gun?
April 10th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Neither. A selective fire carbine is designated an M-2, not an M-1.