On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 04:19:04 GMT, Adam Smith wrote:

What is the definition of an assault weapon? This week? Next month? In 2
years?

A weapon intended for military use, in combat. The particular specs will
change continuously, and there is always going to be a grey area and
disagreement on where exactly the lines are drawn between personal
defense weapons or historical collectible weapons and contemporary
battlefield weapons.

Ah..Adam? There is only one meaning for the term Assault Rifle
" a select fire (meaning machine gun) military rifle firing an
intermediate cartridge"

Whose definition is this you are quoting? Is it a definition from
current US laws, an encyclopedia of guns, the dictionary? I'm asking for
clarification because I'm not a gun enthusiast (as you already know) and
I've just never heard Assault Rifle defined so exclusively.

The above definition is the accepted technical definition of the
firearms industry, both military and commercial. The Germans invented
the first assault weapons.

Also, when I expressed my concern about the definition of "assault
weapon" needing constant updating, I was not thinking only of projectile
weapons, but of any future handheld device designed for military with
lethal capability at distance. I'm just imagining that in 100 years we
may have rifle-like devices that do not necessarily shoot bits of metal,
yet I can imagine the debate over ownership of these weapons will change
far less than the weapons themselves.

-Adam

Of course. But "small arms" will always be "small arms", no matter if
its a round lead ball or a bolt of plasma coming out of the end of the
man portable weapon.

Gunner

"In my humble opinion, the petty carping levied against Bush by
the Democrats proves again, it is better to have your eye plucked
out by an eagle than to be nibbled to death by ducks." - Norman
Liebmann