Gemma SeymourMay 13

Images of Tyler Brown, the Cambridge, MA shooter this week, clearly show that he is using a short-barrled AR-15 variant with a "pistol brace".

I will reiterate my position that this is not a handgun, it is a short-barreled rifle, and such weapons ought to be banned for the purposes of ordinary self defense in populated areas. These devices exist solely to circumvent the public safety protections of the National Firearms Act of 1934.

Obviously, Brown does not care to follow the law, regardless.

Show threadGemma Seymour

But that does not mean that the law should not make rifles illegal for public carry for the ordinary purposes of self-defense in areas of dense population.

I repeat, that is not a handgun, that is a rifle. Do not @ me on this.

May 13 at 4:00pmWeb
Show threadwhy notMay 13
@gcvrsa and its not clear at all how atf came to that determination, since the requirement for a rifle-caliber cartridge pistol to be designated as a pistol is that it must be a new design specifically for a pistol, and those things are clearly just fucking short ARs, which is an action specifically designed for a rifle.
Show threadGemma SeymourMay 13

@wyatt_h_knott I'm not really concerned with the action, so much as the fact that the .223 Remington/5.56x45 mm NATO calibre has far too much power to be permitted to be used for ordinary self-defensive carry in an urban area.

A .223 Rem will deliver 1200-1400 ft-lbs. muzzle energy, compared with about 300-500 ft-lbs for a 9x19 mm handgun.

A miss or overpenetration with a rifle is far more dangerous than it is with most handguns.

Show threadGemma SeymourMay 13
@wyatt_h_knott Rifles don't belong in cities, and even police should not be allowed to use them, except for special sniper teams.