...AK-47's and "Assault rifles" under this ban are NOT "fully automatic machine guns"... Those are already banned. They are semi-automatic rifles. They shoot the same ammo as many deer rifles. They are functionally equivelant to many deer rifles. One trigger pull, one bullet. Same Bullet. Different looking gun. To those who understand this, we see that it's just "hysteria" to ban the "look and feel" of a gun.

I remember reading somewhere that it is possible for a person possessing nothing more than a file, a modicum of skill, and the desire, to turn a single-shot AK-47 into a fully-automatic machine gun in a few minutes.

Can anyone verify this? Is such a modification just as easy to do on other automatic weapons?

Just askin'

Perhaps there are other phenomena at work here, but as an engineer with more than a passing familiarity with Newtonian kinematics, it seems perfectly reasonable that a more rapidly spinning projectile would have a much greater propensity to tumble when entering a discontinuous medium. That would certainly explain the larger exit wound. Convervation of angular momentum, and all...

Paul in KY, you are wrong about the destructive power of bullets

Paul in KY:

The amount of spin imparted by the rifling has nothing to do with the destructive power of a bullet. The rounds fired by assault weapons would not be legal for deer hunting in many states because they lack the power to humanly kill a deer. This tells you how much more powerful deer rifles are than assault weapons.

-- Zachary Hilbun

Dude... chill out. I was just askin'

It's a bit overstated, as is usually the case when someone is looking to score political points.

Did the voices in your head tell you that?

Thanks, Zach-

Always good to learn something new.

Why bullets tumble

PoodlePlay:

As an engineer I can tell you that the tumble comes from the weight distribution within the bullet. The further back the weight is, the more likely it is to tumble.

-- Zachary Hilbun

Good choice.

Nothing quite says, "Halleluja, The Prince of Peace is born!" like an AK-47!

And Bill-O says that there's a War on Christman... Silly man.

Two years ago my wife gave me an AK-47 for Christmas because I really couldn't think of anything else that I really wanted for the holiday.

"No such thing Bad Weather... only bad choosing the clothes!"

I've been seeing a lot of you lately.

So far, you're not even stupid enough to be interesting,

just an ordinary, garden-variety asshole.

...and I probably have a higher IQ, too. LOL

Well, heck- I like to think I'm good in bed, but you know, if you have to say it...

In the absence of any kind of judicial review, turning "the pirates" over to "the privateers" is essentially the equivalent of hiring mercenaries and authorizing them to serve as prosecutors, judges, juries, and executioners all in one. Giving a bounty for each "pirate" ship hunted down and destroyed would be a huge incentive to consider every dinghy, trawlers, and fishing boat within 1000 miles of Somalia a "pirate vessel."

Now that's just plain silly. EVERBODY knows pirate ships fly the Jolly Roger.

DUH!!

I had a GF like that when I was young and naive. She was absolutely psychotic. Unfortunately I didn't realize it at first, it was a few months until I figured it out, which was enough time for her to rain down (near) death and destruction, commit actual crimes, and create havoc and chaos in her wake. And her mother was just like her. To say she was a "drama queen" is but a mere whisp of her true nature. "Drama" doesn't even begin to describe the situation. I was oblivious to what she was doing, and it wasn't until the cops showed up and some friends told me what she had done to them, that I was able to put 6 and 66 together to come up with 'extremely bad news'

Well, that certainly explains a lot. How about, instead of blaming her, and all femaledom for your apparent misery, you take a few moments to reflect on the reasons why you were not only attracted to someone like that in the first place, but stayed with her for far longer than was probably good for you?

What has the right-wing fringe going over the deep end is the fact that Barack Obama, a black man, has been elected President of the United States

This worn out bit of business is so flipping tired, it should be put to sleep for at least the next millennium. Putting it into play is a sure sign that the writer lacks any decent argument. Just stop it, please, will you?

'Smatter, dear? Ooooh- looks like someone done hit a nerve there, no?

Such indignation and defensiveness usually points rather clearly and directly back to the truth, doncha know? Basic Psych 101.

Therefore, I think we should continue flogging that very idea- if for no other reason it just might piss you off enough to keep you from coming here for your daily dump.

What a Silly Bunt.

That you are clearly a member in good standing of the "He Man Women-Hater's Club."

So why don't YOU take a few moments and ponder why you're such a bitch?

I happen to be a guy.

Wanker.