In , Browning also introduced the first semi-automatic rifle, a. With the advance of gun technology came the dawn of gun control. Fully automatic machine gun-type weapons have been tightly regulated since Congress passed the National Firearms Act of , largely in response to the growing prevalence of weapons like the Thompson submachine gun "Tommy gun" , a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol.
Originally developed for use in World War I, the Tommy gun later became popular among Prohibition-era bootleggers and gangsters before the ban [source: Higginbotham ].
From there, the story of gun control in the United States has been a cat-and-mouse game of sorts with gun control activists pushing for laws reflecting ever-developing firearm technology, while gun owners and Second Amendment buffs resist further regulation of their constitutional right to bear arms. In , U. The Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, which expired 10 years later, did little to appease folks on either end of the gun control debate.
Nevertheless, politicians, citizens and lobbyists on both sides continue to debate whether the law, or something similar to it, should be revived [source: Plumer ]. For those seeking to thwart high-capacity "assault" weapons, the ban was marked by loopholes that allowed manufacturers to skirt the law with a few design changes here and there.
For starters, the law did not prohibit all semi-automatic weapons, a move which would have applied to the vast majority of guns on the market. Instead, the act banned 18 specific gun models, including certain types of ARs and AKs and only those manufactured after [source: Plumer ]. Gun control advocates called the ban toothless, noting that several of the prohibited design features -- bayonet mounts, grenade launchers, silencers and flash suppressors -- don't get to the heart of why these weapons are dangerous: Their ability to fire off several rounds in a short period of time.
The law did, nevertheless, limit magazines capable of carrying more than 10 bullets [source: Plumer ]. For many gun owners and the well-funded lobbyists at the National Rifle Association NRA , the ban was an unnecessary invasion on their constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms. Nor, according to these folks, does a gun ban do much to deter violence. Take away a criminal's pistol and he'll use a knife or a crowbar is one argument. The NRA says that from to , the murder fell by half while the number of semi-automatic guns rose by 50 million [source: NRA ].
As the debate continues, recent gun control efforts have focused on establishing a more robust ban on semi-automatic weapons, as well as a clamping down on highly unregulated gun shows, at which private individuals who are not considered dealers can sell guns without conducting a background check.
Meanwhile, local gun control efforts have moved forward in cities and states across the country. Although the U. Supreme Court ruled in that an all-out ban on guns is unconstitutional, very tight restrictions remain in effect in places like New York and Massachusetts [source: Plumer ]. Some are for smaller shooters more sensitive to recoil, others are for long range shooting, while still others are for close range self defense.
For example, a. Bullets also have different shapes or other features to take on different tasks. Hollow point bullets have a cavity in the nose of the bullet that allows the lead to spread outward on impact, morphing the aerodynamic bullet into a deadly, high velocity metallic flower, creating gaping wounds.
Tracer bullets are designed to allow the shooter to see where his or her bullets are striking at night, and armor-piercing bullets can penetrate body armor and light steel armor.
Both are generally restricted to military use. There are many kinds of guns in circulation today, but they can be divided into two categories: long guns, including rifles and shotguns, and handguns, including revolvers and pistols.
As a general rule, long guns fire large-caliber rounds from long barrels and are meant to be fired from the shoulder. Handguns are smaller-caliber weapons with shorter barrels, and are meant to be fired using one or both hands. Bolt action rifles : The simplest form of firearm today, a bolt action rifle is fired by manually pushing forward a bolt, pulling the trigger, pulling back the bolt to release the empty cartridge, and pushing the bolt forward again to load a fresh cartridge.
Because of their manual nature, bolt action guns are accurate but slow to fire. Bolt action rifles hold between four and ten bullets in an internal or detachable magazine. Examples of a bolt action rifle include the Remington and Howa Lever action rifles : These rifles date back to the 19th century and are often seen in Western films.
A pull of a lever attached to the rifle loads a fresh bullet, the user pulls the trigger, and another pull of the lever ejects the empty cartridge and loads a fresh one. The position of the lever makes it much faster to fire than a bolt action rifle. Modern examples include the Winchester 94 and Marlin Semi-automatic rifles : These weapons can vary greatly, but the common feature is that every pull of the trigger releases one bullet and loading a new round is automatic.
Many semi-automatic rifles have external magazines holding five to thirty rounds, which can be changed quickly to reload the weapon. Notice the difference in appearance of both. The shot flies from the barrel in a narrow cone-shaped pattern. This dispersal aids the shooter in hitting small game animals, especially those in flight, such as ducks.
The size of the shot varies, with smaller birdshot less likely to kill or incapacitate a human, while larger buckshot is more useful for home defense. Shotguns can be single-shot weapons, pump action weapons in which a single pump chambers a round, and semi-automatic.
Examples of shotguns include the Mossberg and Remington Revolvers : Often seen in the hands of cinematic cowboys, revolvers were the first multi-shot handguns, storing up to seven bullets in a revolving cylinder that mates with the gun barrel and firing mechanism including the firing pin. In modern revolvers, a single pull of the trigger advances the cylinder to a fresh cartridge, pulls back the hammer, and releases the hammer to strike the primer with the firing pin, firing the handgun. Automatic rifles have NOT been used in mass shootings; semi-automatic rifles were used in the shootings in Orlando, Newtown, and San Bernardino.
The user can shoot as fast as his or her finger can press the trigger. Not really. Fully automatic firearms are available only to the military or law enforcement. The only automatic weapons legal to purchase for civilians in the United States are the ones that have been registered between and Those firearms and specialized kits to convert semi-autos to full-autos are difficult to obtain and very expensive.
Banning assault rifles would make no difference because full-auto rifles are seldom, if ever, used in a crime. But Does It Work? Culture Ugly Rockets? And Turned the Ignition.
By Interesting Engineering. Time at the gun range helps you focus and release tension. Follow Us on. Sponsored Stories.
Here's How It Works 2 months ago. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.
0コメント