Quote:
Originally Posted by delcosheriffsucks
this is probably one of the stupidest questions asked to date, i have a rifle magazine fed, semi auto, and holds 15+1, does this classify it as an assault rifle? its a .22 
EDIT it is tubular magazine fed |
"Assault
Rifle", as rwilson452 pointed out, in its pure form, is a select fire (meaning that is has more settings then just "SAFE" and "BANG"
) rifle that
feeds automatically (meaning that you don't load a new round into the chamber by yourself - recoil or gas or whatever does the work) and is fed by a detachable magazine and has a pistol grip, AND, in general, fires what was once called a "short" rifle cartridge.....but later on rifles came to use "full size" rifle cartriges. It is a military term that has unfortunately been abused by those who want to use it for a legal term. Assault Rifles are either Military rifles, or some of the NFA firearms that are classified as "Machine Guns".
Now "Assault
WEAPON" is a little different. This is the term that the chicken little crowd uses to describe, as rwilson452 said again,
anything they want. Generally that "anything" is something scary, semi-auto, usually a sporting rifle that is modeled after a real military rifle (think AR-15, and "AK" clones), and has horrifying, death delivering, massacre inducing, child mashing,
"WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU NEED THOSE FOR" features such as a pistol grip, detachable magazine, bayonet lug *GASP*
, or flash suppressor.
To answer your second question about your .22 - I'm from the People's Republic of California originally - and I was there when Feinstein's illegal ban on "Assault Weapons" took place (and still remains in effect to this day, likely to never disappear
). .22 Rimfire rifles that had a tube fed mag were specific exclusions from the "Assault Weapons" list IIRC. Meaning they were legal - so you could have tube mag with what would normally be called "Hi Capacity" - meaning more than 10 rounds (more nonsense) and your rifle together without getting spankings from Dianne.
All of this is moot. Pennsylvania is a free state, and as such we have no limitations, other than Federal ones, on what you can purchase. There is no illegal, horseshit, "assault weapons" ban here.
Even in the horrifying and unlikely event that we did get one, you would likely be safe.