Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/10/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Walt, I usually don't get into these discussions. But you are really . . . wrong. True, there are a whole lot of gun nuts out there. But, I defy to you define an "assault" weapon. To me, it would be a weapon used while conducting an assault. That is the only reliable definition. As to a "sport shooter" I think the same standard might apply. On Oct 19, 2006, at 5:50 PM, Walt Johnson wrote: > Anyone who owns an assault rifle and claims to be a sport shooter has > no real idea of sport. Many members of the United States Practical Shooting Association or USPSA (the US branch of the International Practical Shooting Confederation or IPSC) would disagree with you. There are shooting sport matches ALL OVER THE WORLD that use a variety of pistols, shotguns and rifles. Further, the single most commonly used rifle for USPSA/IPSC events is some variant of the AR-15/M-16 "assault rifle." The competitors use them for the same reasons the army or police do. They are accurate and are very versatile weapons. One is able to almost instantaneously switch from iron sights to short range optics to long range optics. They are light, compact and they use the inexpensive and accurate .223 (5.56mm) cartridge. They are also easy to work on, easy to attach a bi-pod to and easy to interchange parts, should one break. They are very easily customized and there are virtually unlimited options one could add to get some sort of competitive advantage available from countless manufacturers. Having competed in a number of these matches, I can say wholeheartedly that I see far more sportsmanship in these competitions than I see in the headlines coming out of football or baseball or even the world cup last year. Your statement that an "assault rifle" cannot be a "sport shooter" is just plain wrong. So, for future reference, I'd read up a bit more before throwing insults to folks who compete in these events. Finally, are there people out there who use these weapons inappropriately? Absolutely. Should they be punished to the full extent of the law. Again, absolutely. However, legitimate sporting events often use these guns for just that - sport. Take care, Frank Farmer Jackson, Miss.