Double plus good
In this post, I said:
I was thinking for a while about doing a post on media gun coverage where I take the word they use and translate it into gun nut English. It was on the to-do list but I never got around to it. For example:
When they say High-Powered
They mean regular
Sample usage: The suspect used a high-powered rifle in the commission of a murder.
Translated: The suspect used a regular rifle in a murder.
In comments, beerslurpy adds:
clip -> magazine
high capacity -> normal capacity
automatic -> semi-automatic
sniper rifle -> any rifle with a scope, any hunting rifle or any rifle where shooting was from more than 50 yards
assault rifle -> rifle of any sort except an assault rifle, usually something that takes pistol ammo like the Beretta Storm or something with no detachable magazine like the SKS.
sawed-off shotgun -> any shotgun with a pistol grip and no buttstock
AK-47 -> SKS
SKS -> Saiga 7.62×39
And Joe reminds us gun nuts of what words we should use, for example instead assault or lethal weapon of use household firearms.
November 29th, 2006 at 11:47 am
“Assault weapons” really means effective, self-defense, semi-auto weapons. “Assault” is actually a term for a crime or a military tactic.
November 29th, 2006 at 3:57 pm
Here is a a href=”http://www.reason.com/blog/show/116961.html”>cute one: Police in large cities formerly carried revolvers holding six .38-caliber rounds. Nowadays, police carry semi-automatic pistols with 16 high-caliber rounds, shotguns and military assault rifles, weapons once relegated to SWAT teams facing extraordinary circumstances.
Since when is 9mm (.35 cal.) a “high-caliber”? Especially when compared to .38!
November 29th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
Eh, probably not the first to make this observation, but by the media’s definition, black SUVs are “assault” SUVs. Especially if you have bigger than normal seats or you remove a row of seats.
Or, god forbid, you add a step to help you get in…
November 29th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Then there’s;
Machinegun -> Anything that looks scary.
And a bit more obscure, but true:
Assault -> Anything that makes you uncomfortable, or anything you find embarrassing, if its done by a Republican, i.e. waving a piece of paper at you in a debate.