Harold Ancell wrote:

Jeanne Hedge wrote:

What's your problem with "military-spec" weapons, by the way?
They're just uglier and more reliable than most hunting rifles; most
of them are less powerful than hunting rifles as well (the very
definition of an assault rifle is a reduced power, "selective fire"
(full or semi-auto) rifle---civilian versions aren't even full auto).

Civilian versions may not be *sold* as full auto, but we all know that it is
ridiculously easy to purchase a kit that converts them to full auto.

I see no legitimate reason for anybody outside the police or the military to
have military-spec weapons, and I really don't see any need to use such
weapons for hunting purposes (unless the plan is to hunt people).  My
personal definintion of a military-spec weapon is one with full-auto
capabilities, or can be adapted to have full-auto capabilities -- including
"civilian" versions of weapons used by the military (full- *or*
semi-automatic weapons).  If you're going to go hunting, use your double
barreled shotgun or a bow or something, not a M-16.  I see no legitimate
reason for anybody outside the police or the military to have armor piercing
ammunition either.  Since when does a deer wear a bulletproof vest?

  I heard a while back that the rank-and-file membership was rather
  upset with the path their organization was going down (going away
  from the safety/marksmanship/responsibly-used fun/etc focus), and
  there was a move to "recalibrate or replace" the leadership.  Has
  anything come of this?

Not so much going away from the traditional NRA mission, which is
still where the NRA puts most of its money, as compromising the
political.  The reason the NRA is doing it is because if we don't win
the political battle, the traditional mission will become moot because
we won't have any firearms.

Baloney.  Nobody's going to take your shotgun away from you.  They just want
to take your AK-47 away from you.  

If the NRA is truly concerned about the gov't taking everyone's weapons away
from them, they've got to know the crazies in the "militia movement" (the
ones that carry on about Russian tanks in the Michigan woods, and bomb gov't
offices, and such) aren't helping any.  What is the NRA doing about that?

Let me finish with this interesting NRA fact: out of the three top
positions (President, Executive Director, head of the lobbying arm),
two are held by women....

Is this supposed to mean something?


Jeanne Hedge
http://www.accsyst.com/jhedge/main.htm

                                 *   *   *

FIDDLE, n.  An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse's tail
on the entrails of a cat.

                -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"