“The conflation of the terms Assault Rifle and Assault Weapon is also known as ‘norming,’ the act of normalizing an idea or behavior
Let’s start off at the very beginning, following the “Yellow Brick Road,” with a few definitions and essential information for those new gun owners, non-gun owners, and anti-gun critters. Please note I’m sorry if I insult those already in the know!
Definition of the word ASSAULT
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assault – verb: a violent physical or verbal attack.
Definition of the word WEAPON
weapon – noun: something (such as a club, knife, gun, etc.) used to injure, defeat, or destroy someone or something.
Definition of a RIFLE
rifle – noun: a shoulder fired firearm with a rifled bore (spiral grooves in the bore).
Definition of a PISTOL
pistol – noun: a specifically handheld firearm whose chamber is integral with the barrel.
Definition of a SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARM
semiautomatic firearm – noun: a firearm able to fire repeatedly through an automatic reloading process but requiring the trigger to be pulled for each successive shot (a semiautomatic rifle or pistol).
Definition of a MACHINE GUN
machine gun – noun: a firearm for sustained rapid fire, or burst, on a single pull of the trigger. (a.k.a. an automatic weapon).
Definition of the phrase ASSAULT RIFLE
assault rifle – noun: any of various intermediate-range, magazine-fed military rifles that can be set for automatic or semiautomatic fire (a.k.a. Select Fire).
So where does the infamous Assault Weapon fit into the linguistic picture? It doesn’t! It’s essentially MADE UP! Here’s a brief history:
By Alan Chwick, Joanne D Eisen & Gary Mauser
