Modern Sporting Rifle

[thatgtrguy]

I know I'm gonna catch a hail storm for this.

But could it be that the term "Modern Sporting Rifle" is part of the problem?

I mean let's call AKs and ARs what they really are to the gun community:

Downgraded Mil-Spec weapons.

Could it be that we as gun enthusiasts have weakened the perceived need for 2A by calling these weapons sporting rifles? We bought them for "sporting" after all.

Maybe we should have called them "Constitution class rifles" or "militia class rifles" or something that indicates that these guns are in the "we need to be as well armed as military and law enforcement" category?

Let the hate storm begin!!!

 

[fastang50]

Language is very powerful and the left anti-Liberty bunch has controlled it thru the media for decades. Government schools seem to have washed from the content that a man or woman is responsable for themself and the fed is granted by the states and people only limited powers. We're well behind the curve in using the right language I think!

 

[indykid]

We who know understand that it doesn't matter what you call the firearm, because the right of the people to keep and bear arms does not specify any type of weapon, and therefore all are part of that right. It's just that the news media aiding and abetting the politicos seem to need to make the distinction between a "hunting rifle" and a "sporting rifle" and a "military issue" rifle.

As I have pointed out many times in many forums, the second amendment does not specify barrel length, overall length, number of rounds per trigger pull, color, size, shape, weight, or anything else. There is no "sporting purpose" clause in the second amendment as I like to call the 1968 GCA, the true start of treasonous infringement on our rights.

Fear, lack of knowledge and understanding are what drives this stupidity.

 

[gregkl]

I think modern sporting rifle fits the bill fine. I would use it mostly for sport. Hunting, plinking, shooting events.

When I had mine, those were the purposes that prompted me to build it in the first place.

 

[HoughMade]

We've never been very good at winning the language battle. The left seems very adept at that. Maybe because they have a following that values language of substance to begin with.

 

[thatgtrguy]

Fear, lack of knowledge and understanding are what drives this stupidity.

My point exactly. Lack of Knowledge and understanding are partly our fault for not calling these weapons what they really are. They're not sporting rifles at all. They are the rifles that let me go toe to toe with my local SWAT team.

We call them sporting rifles. So IMO the anti-gun people ask a pretty common sense question: "Does the nature of your sport really hinge on the number of rounds you can put in a magazine?"

In other words, we have a tendency to be our own worst enemies.

 

[VN Vet]

According to what little law I know: Ambiguity in the law, be it wording or phrasing, is always in favor of the party that did not right the law.

 

[Mark 1911]

Seems like among gun owners, the terms "AR", "assault rifle", and "Modern Sporting Rifle" are used almost interchangeably. But I think the term "Modern Sporting Rifle" more accurately describes how the rifle is actually used by law-abiding citizens. Not to rule out the self-defense application, but even in self-defense, the law-abiding person is defending against assault, not committing it. Many competitive shooting events make use of this style of rifle as well. Public perception is shaped by terminology. When we talk among ourselves, maybe terminology is not as important as when we are talking to the general public, our friends and acquaintances who do not know guns as well as we do. Our knowledge is a powerful tool in shaping the opinions of the people we come in contact with.

 

[HoughMade]

The Armalite people are probably upset that people think "assault rifle" when they hear the letters "AR". There goes all that hard work on "brand identity" right out the window.

 

[HavokCycle]

it doesnt matter what terminology they (or we) use.
Assault Rifle is a blacklisted term, rebrand them into 'modern sporting rifles' or hell even our designation of EBR, they'll grab the term and use it against us.

its not a matter of words anymore. the media has the ability to DEMONIZE any term that is in popular parlance - think the political correctness movement in the 90s and all the terms that were demonized, altered, then demonized all over again.

 

[DRob]

We are the enemy

"They are the rifles that let me go toe to toe with my local SWAT team." Did you really mean to say that in the same post where you said "we have a tendency to be our own worst enemies" or were you trying to use the former statement as proof of the latter?

 

[gregkl]

My point exactly. Lack of Knowledge and understanding are partly our fault for not calling these weapons what they really are. They're not sporting rifles at all. They are the rifles that let me go toe to toe with my local SWAT team.

We call them sporting rifles. So IMO the anti-gun people ask a pretty common sense question: "Does the nature of your sport really hinge on the number of rounds you can put in a magazine?"

In other words, we have a tendency to be our own worst enemies.

Why would I want to go "toe to toe with my local SWAT team"? I keep my nose clean. I have no reason for me being untrained in special weapons and tactics taking on a fully trained, outfitted group of people. I would end up dead in the end whether I took some of them out or not.

And yes, in some competitions, having more round capacity can make you more competitive.

 

[Sdixon]

I couldnt agree more; I think we have hurt ourselves by putting emphasis on hunting and shooting sports , not the intended purpose of the 2A.

Once a person realized why we have the 2A they will understand why we need, AR's, AK's and the like.

I know I'm gonna catch a hail storm for this.

But could it be that the term "Modern Sporting Rifle" is part of the problem?

I mean let's call AKs and ARs what they really are to the gun community:

Downgraded Mil-Spec weapons.

Could it be that we as gun enthusiasts have weakened the perceived need for 2A by calling these weapons sporting rifles? We bought them for "sporting" after all.

Maybe we should have called them "Constitution class rifles" or "militia class rifles" or something that indicates that these guns are in the "we need to be as well armed as military and law enforcement" category?

Let the hate storm begin!!!

 

[LarryC]

I don't think it matters a whit what we (the firearm owners) call them - As I recall the term "Assault rifle" was coined by the liberals / media. Any educated gun owner knows the ONLY assault rifles are full or select fire weapons. We could call them Multiple target accurate soft tail rifles, the liberals liars would still call them automatic Assault machine guns.

 

[edporch]

To the enemies of our civil right to keep and bear arms, it doesn't matter what we call them.

After all, their GOAL is to get rid of ALL firearms.

 

[thatgtrguy]

Why would I want to go "toe to toe with my local SWAT team"? I keep my nose clean. I have no reason for me being untrained in special weapons and tactics taking on a fully trained, outfitted group of people. I would end up dead in the end whether I took some of them out or not.

And yes, in some competitions, having more round capacity can make you more competitive.

Many here would argue that the essence of 2A is the ability of the average person to fight domestic tyranny in the form of a govt operating outside of constitutional boundaries.

 

[thatgtrguy]

"They are the rifles that let me go toe to toe with my local SWAT team." Did you really mean to say that in the same post where you said "we have a tendency to be our own worst enemies" or were you trying to use the former statement as proof of the latter?

The two aren't related. The comment about the Swat team is about the essence of 2A. The ability to rise up against domestic tyranny. That's why the right to bear arms must not be infringed (many here would argue).

Own worst enemy is about short sightedness. We don't like the phrase Assault Rifle. But we really want to justify ownership of these rifles. So we change to the description to Modern Sporting Rifle. So then the left asks the question "what kind of sport requires 30 round magazines?" But we REALLY want to own these rifles

So we get on our soap box and cry out "2A!!! 2A!!! Shall not be infringed!!!"

And all things said and done we begin to look like our own little circus. All the liberals and most of the moderates think that gun control on law abiding people is the way to go instead of catching criminals and going after the illegal guns.

We blame the liberals instead of taking responsibility for creating the circus in the first place.