So Called “Assault Weapons”

Definition of the word ASSAULT

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:

During World War II, Hugo Schmeisser designed a light rifle to fire the Germans’ 7.92-mm Kurz (“Short”) cartridge, which was of the same caliber as the Mauser rifle cartridge but was lighter and shorter and was therefore of a less-potent “intermediate” power. This weapon became known as the Sturmgewehr (“Assault Rifle”) 44 (also MP44). It had a curved box 30-round magazine and was designed for approximately 300 yards. It was a lightweight automatic infantry weapon for the 21st century.

Notice, they didn’t call it an Assault Weapon, as it was specifically a lightweight rifle capable of automatic fire.

Years later, upon investigating history, it was discovered that in the late 1980s, Josh Sugarmann, a gun-control activist and founder of Violence Policy Center (vpc.org), coined the term “Assault Weapon” in a paper he authored. In his writing, Sugarmann stated:

“Assault weapons—just like armor-piercing bullets, machine guns, and plastic firearms—are a new topic. The weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons. In addition, few people can envision a practical use for these weapons.”

This is where the tactic of gaining public support by blending the terms Assault Rifle and Assault Weapon comes into play. While the true origin of the term Assault Weapon is uncertain and remains a topic of heated debate, the ultimate objective of gun control is not merely to disarm individuals but to eradicate the capacity for self-defense. By merging the terms “Rifle” and “Weapon,” the connotation of the latter encompasses a wider range of items, including anything that can be wielded as a weapon, thus serving the purpose of eliminating self-defense. It’s important to remember that a RIFLE is simply a RIFLE, a PISTOL is just a PISTOL, but a WEAPON can be anything – from a firearm to a blade, a rock, or even the chair you’re seated on.

So the confusing conflation of Assault Rifles and Assault Weapons completes the attack on Self-Defense. An attack on anything that can be used as a weapon for defense, thrusts the self-defense attack quietly into the mainstream.

That can explain why the Left wants to disarm gun owners of anything that can be used any way they can. They scream ASSAULT WEAPON, implying black, ugly, military-style rifles, but they’re really after any self-defense items. That is how they are trying to force our cooperation and approval of complete disarmament. So they lie. AND THAT MY FRIENDS IS THE BIG LIE, the attempted destruction personal self-defense.

Just look around at the Blue Cities and States attacking the victims instead of the perpetrators with legal actions. Look at countries like England and Australia who; punish those who try and protect themselves.

The conflation of the terms Assault Rifle and Assault Weapon is also known as ‘norming,’ the act of normalizing an idea or behavior. Norming is also a trick that the United Nations does in their Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), but that’s a story for another time.

During these current times of incredible Governmental Lies that are circulating throughout our culture, our society is cleaving into separate angry groups of confused, frightened people. Police forces are finding their own safety an issue through defunding.  And we struggle with the need to protect our families from criminal violence and tyranny. These attacks and lies are a constant physical grind upon Americans. And that grind creates Federal Over-reach.

We find this new ‘normal’ as only a next step in the continuous efforts from our home-grown Leftists, where the attempted disarmament by the Left is trying to overwhelm our values of Freedom and Liberty. These lying norms are a direct threat to our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.

Without self-defense, there is no self-reliance. Without self-reliance, there is bigger government. And with bigger government, there is only tyranny.

About The Author

Alan J Chwick has been involved with firearms much of his life and is the Retired Managing Coach of the Freeport NY Junior Marksmanship Club. He has escaped New York State to South Carolina and is an SC FFL (Everything22andMore.com). AJChwick@iNCNF.org | TWITTER: @iNCNF | TruthSocial: @iNCNFEditor