The Washington Free Beacon’s Second Amendment reporter, Stephen Gutowski, has been working to properly educate folks about firearms terminology, especially when gun grabbers advocate for legislation that’s already in place.
What he has to say is epic.
Learning the terminology of firearms isn't a trivial thing. Otherwise you won't know if you're advocating banning and confiscating tens of millions of guns, hundreds of millions of guns, or advocating a ban on guns that are already banned. Those aren't small differences.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
THANK YOU!
Assault rifles are fully-automatic guns and new sales of them to civilians has been banned since 1986.
Assault weapons are semi-automatic guns and there are likely tens of millions of them in civilian hands.
Semi-automatic firearms likely make up a large majority of all guns.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
Know the difference, ya’ll.
Using these terms interchangeably makes discussing firearms policy nearly impossible.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
*cough* Gun control advocates *cough*
I've shared this a number of times before but here is a resource I've developed for reporters on the basics of firearms law and function https://t.co/Ha2LlqTzD7
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
Go through his Google Doc. It emails the difference between “assault rifles” and “assault weapons” and the difference between full auto verses semi-auto.
At least people took this opportunity to learn and ask questions.
Agreed. Can you tell me if a semiautomatic with a bump stock is automatic?
— Charlie Rosenov (@CharlieRosrn) February 23, 2018
It's not an automatic because it still requires an individual trigger pull for each shot.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/PhilipWegmann/status/967034861642010624
Yes.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
Then why are we having this silly discussion about vocabulary? The gun culture knows very well the difference in lethality btwn different firearms. How about showing some internal leadership and policing instead
— Tim Decker (@decklap) February 23, 2018
The issue is those who are calling for stricter gun control laws don’t know the different vocabulary, which usually results in them calling for laws that are ALREADY place.
Did you even bother reading my original tweets? Screwing up terms isn't silly or insignificant. There are major implications to each policy difference.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
BINGO.
https://twitter.com/Dr_BigGuy/status/967038030161657856
That’s an interesting “modification.”
Well, bump firing is a shooting technique that uses recoil to assist with pulling the trigger on a semi-automatic at a faster rate than otherwise possible. The stocks just help you complete the technique. You can do it without them.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/PhilipWegmann/status/967041411509039106
I'm not taking a position. I'm just explaining the concerns involved.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
And he’s sharing the concerns many in the Second Amendment community have.
I found this thread very informative. Thank you.
— Bonnie Varner (@thisbishcan) February 23, 2018
At least someone admits that they learned something new.
We're arguing about trees and ignoring the forest. In other words, bump stocks effectively turn a semi-automatic rifle into the equivalent of an automatic rifle. If you doubt, it listen to the audio of the Vegas shooting. So let's speak real impact, not tech differences.
— paul von zielbauer (@vonzielbauer) February 23, 2018
That analogy made NO sense.
Reporters ought to strive to inform themselves so they can inform their audiences.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
But that would make too much sense, wouldn’t it?
Additionally, the technical differences here can have vastly different real-world impacts so, yes, they matter.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 23, 2018
Especially when it comes to children’s lives.
I certainly agree with that. Not understanding basic firearms in 2018, if you're a GA reporter, is about the same as not understanding email in 1998: It'd be nice if you didn't have to, but your job now requires it, sadly.
— paul von zielbauer (@vonzielbauer) February 23, 2018
Part of being a general assignment (GA) reporter is being prepared to cover any and every beat.
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