Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!xanth!ukma!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!cbnews!hes@uncecs.edu
From: hes@uncecs.edu (Henry Schaffer)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: "assault" rifle - definition?
Keywords: assault, paramilitary
Message-ID: <3485@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 26 Jan 89 14:51:10 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Lines: 15
Approved: military@att.att.com

From: Henry Schaffer <hes@uncecs.edu>

Since the word has been in the news recently, and people are discussing
bans on "assault" rifles, I've been wondering what it means.  I went to
Jane's book on Infantry Arms and they list lots of assault rifles, but
don't seem to define what that means nor list it in the glossary.  Does
it have an accepted definition?

Also there's been public concern about "paramilitary" weapons - which
seems to mean any weapon which more or less resembles a military weapon.
After looking through the Jane's book I'm amazed at how many weapons of
various types have been adopted by some military outfit, somewhere at
some time - maybe everything is "paramilitary"?

--henry schaffer  n c state univ