"assault weapon"
I dislike this one because it was made up entirely by anti-gun groups and politicians in an attempt to deprive us of whatever type of gun is politically incorrect at the moment. "Assult rifle" is OK because that is a true military term that refers to a very specific type of firearm: A rifle firing an intermediate cartridge with select-fire capability.
"Assault weapon" however, is a perversion of "assault rifle" which was chosen because it sounds menacing to the uninformed. Bayonet lugs, flash hiders, grenade launcers, pistol grips, folding stocks and other so-called "assault weapon features" have absolutely no bearing on whether a firearm meets the criteria to be an "assault rifle"; it
has to be select-fire and chambered for an intermediate cartridge to qualify.
Even worse are terms like "assault pistol" or, in the case of the Brady Bunch's latest perversion, "assault clip." Apparently, simply adding the word "assault" to anything firearm related makes it evil and unsuitable for civilized society
.
Other terms that drive me nuts:
"Cop killer bullet": Are these bullets only capable of killing cops? Are these the only type of bullet capable of killing cops? Are there any more irritating ways to slaughter the English language that have yet to be discovered?
"Sniper Rifle": This one wouldn't be bad if it was used in the proper context: a rifle used by a sniper or specifically designed for sniping. Outside of that context, however, it has very little meaning because just about every type of rifle ever devised has been used for sniping at some point or another. There is no concrete list of features that qualify a rifle as a "sniper rifle." The
only difference between a sniper rifle and a hunting/target/plinking/self-defense rifle is the person attached to the finger on the trigger. Yet again, we have a term that has been latched onto by anti-gun zealots because it sounds scary
.
