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> There’s a strong gun culture in Australia as well, and as an Australian, and a gun owner, I am perfectly fine with not being able to have an assault rifle. B

> There’s a strong gun culture in Australia as well, and as an Australian, and a gun owner, I am perfectly fine with not being able to have an assault rifle. Because no one else can either, and schools don’t get shot up Civilians in the US are not allowed to own assault rifles either, and haven't for decades. There are a tiny number of assault rifles in civilians' hands that were first sold over 30 years ago and were grandfathered in, but they are absurdly expensive (due to their rarity) and are generally owned by collectors.

DoubleCribble 8y ago
Sure we can. It's the "A" in AR-15. What you're probably thinking of is "automatic".
- drchap 8y ago
  The "A" in AR-15 stands for Armalite, the company where they were originally designed and manufactured. The first rifle they produced was the AR-1, a bolt-action rifle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArmaLite#Products https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArmaLite#Products
cromulent 8y ago
The terms are confusing for a non-American. My understanding is that in the USA you can't buy a "fully-automatic rifle", which is what the rest of the world calls a machine gun. Nor can you buy an "automatic weapon" which is a gun that looks like an automatic rifle. You can buy a semi-automatic AR-15, which can shoot 45 rounds or so per minute. As an Aussie, I'm also cool with not allowing people to have AR-15s. A round or two a minute should be enough for most people.
- chimeracoder 8y ago
  > The terms are confusing for a non-American. The terms are not confusing. "Assault rifle" is a technical term with a precise definition. How a gun looks doesn't actually matter.
  - cromulent 8y ago
    > "Assault rifle" is a technical term with a precise definition. Maybe in your country. The Encyclopedia Britannica says: "assault rifles are distinguished by their high rate of automatic or semiautomatic fire...In those countries where assault rifles can be purchased in the civilian market, their sale is subject to various restrictions, such as the elimination of automatic action and of the capacity to fire high-performance military ammunition." So an assault rifle can be automatic or semiautomatic, and you may buy an assault rifle that has been modified to remove automatic action. Isn't that confusing? https://www.britannica.com/technology/small-arm#ref520660 https://www.britannica.com/technology/small-arm#ref520660
- argentpatrol 8y ago
  In the US, you can buy a machine gun if it was privately owned and registered prior to 1986, though some states ban machine guns. > A round or two a minute should be enough for most people. That's because you don't know how to defend yourself with a gun, if for no other reason than that self-defense (with a gun or anything else for that matter) is effectively illegal in your country. Yet you're apparently qualified to tell me what kind of gun I should use for self-defense.

DoubleCribble 8y ago

Sure we can. It's the "A" in AR-15. What you're probably thinking of is "automatic".

drchap 8y ago
The "A" in AR-15 stands for Armalite, the company where they were originally designed and manufactured. The first rifle they produced was the AR-1, a bolt-action rifle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArmaLite#Products https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArmaLite#Products

cromulent 8y ago

The terms are confusing for a non-American. My understanding is that in the USA you can't buy a "fully-automatic rifle", which is what the rest of the world calls a machine gun. Nor can you buy an "automatic weapon" which is a gun that looks like an automatic rifle. You can buy a semi-automatic AR-15, which can shoot 45 rounds or so per minute. As an Aussie, I'm also cool with not allowing people to have AR-15s. A round or two a minute should be enough for most people.

chimeracoder 8y ago
> The terms are confusing for a non-American. The terms are not confusing. "Assault rifle" is a technical term with a precise definition. How a gun looks doesn't actually matter.
- cromulent 8y ago
  > "Assault rifle" is a technical term with a precise definition. Maybe in your country. The Encyclopedia Britannica says: "assault rifles are distinguished by their high rate of automatic or semiautomatic fire...In those countries where assault rifles can be purchased in the civilian market, their sale is subject to various restrictions, such as the elimination of automatic action and of the capacity to fire high-performance military ammunition." So an assault rifle can be automatic or semiautomatic, and you may buy an assault rifle that has been modified to remove automatic action. Isn't that confusing? https://www.britannica.com/technology/small-arm#ref520660 https://www.britannica.com/technology/small-arm#ref520660
argentpatrol 8y ago
In the US, you can buy a machine gun if it was privately owned and registered prior to 1986, though some states ban machine guns. > A round or two a minute should be enough for most people. That's because you don't know how to defend yourself with a gun, if for no other reason than that self-defense (with a gun or anything else for that matter) is effectively illegal in your country. Yet you're apparently qualified to tell me what kind of gun I should use for self-defense.