I only use the term Assault Rifle when talking about
real military weapons and not civilian, an AR, AK or whatever is a semi-automatic rifle and nothing more. I can paint up the old family Buick or Chevy to look like a NASCAR racer...but it's still a Buick or Chevy. The term as used in media applies to appearance only and it's still incorrect, but understood by the public so it sticks.
In as much as D-Day isn't really the name of Operation Overlord, D-Day is a military term for the start of an operation...but it's come to mean something specific for the public at large. Every tissue is a Kleenex, every adhesive bandage a Band-Aid...and every semi-auto with black furniture is an assault rifle and high-powered to boot regardless of if it's really a high-powered round, and intermediate round or a rimfire 22 and 1K rounds is a cache of ammo. It's a term that ain't going away, as incorrect as it's use may be.
Quote:
"If you're explaining, you're losing"
Right now, we're explaining. The anti's are doing a good job of portraying us as Rambo-wannabe's right now, and a lot of what we've come up with to retort is splitting hairs on definitions and various bumper sticker slogans.
For years they've wanted a conversation on gun control, and if we don't give them one we will cement our reputation as gun nuts. No one takes "gun nuts" seriously except other gun nuts. The Ted Nugent mentality will be our undoing.
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Hardworker, I really like the way you put that. I've felt the same thing for awhile. We're not either letting or getting the true face of hobby/sport across to the general public. The loudest or most outrageous or controversial voices in our community have gotten too much attention for too long, and it's going to be a liability now. But sadly the average guy at the range who doesn't shoot things that blowup or talk to anti-gunners like a petulant child is boring and not likely to make it in the media because no one will pay attention to them. In the battle of hearts and minds we're at a huge disadvantage now and debating terms isn't in our best interest at this moment.