Miles said:
So, this is wrong? http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-nn-connecticut-school-shooting-assault-rifle-20121216,0,3808586.story ."
It is splitting hairs and getting away from the point really. it is a fractionally different caliber ( a non military round) , it is just terminology getting in the way.
I would have thought it is not 'officially an assault rifle, so someone who just see the name 'Bushmaster' would not think 'assault rifle'. So the confusion is clear to me ..if you get my meaning.
But...it looks like an AR-15..which it is based on) which IS an assault rifle AFAIK, but the caliber is marginally different , and ones rounds can be used in the other but not the other way around. ( not safely anyway so i read)
Since it is called a 'Bushmaster' the implication is that it is a hunting rifle. Quite clearly it looks exactly the same as the assault version ( the AR-15). So even if Assault weapons are banned, the Bushmaster would quite probably be allowed because of the different spec.
I am no expert on this matter,i just did a quick Google search on Bushmaster .223 semiautomatic rifle, since I had no idea what one was and the info was there. A way aroudn the law if you like. Not saying it is right , but it happens and will always happen, people will find away a loophole, especially if they feel they have had something taken away from them due to the actions of others.
In France, I believe, military caliber guns are banned. so no 9mm or .45...but hey guess what...up pops the 10mm Delta round, with the same guns being re barrelled to take the new non military round ( Colt 1911 etc).
On a far less serious basis we all do the same with our e-bikes...250 watt stickers etc.getting around a law that is inconvenient to us. We do this as we know ( hopefully) what we are doing, and most of us do it safely, but would not go and hand our bikes to a little kid or granny to go down the shops with..
Laws are created to control the minority ( who will ignore them anyway) to the inconvenience of the majority who are going to be sensible