The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

maestro pistolero · May 11, 2009, 02:23 AM

The phrase 'dangerous and unusual weapons' ought to be interpreted as weapons that aren't small arms. Dangerous and unusual means grenades, mortars, RPG's. etc. on up the dangerous scale.

Here's why I think this to be true.

Dangerous and unusual cannot generally include small arms, because in reality, any one of them is nearly as dangerous as the next. A head shot from almost any small arm, in almost any caliber, is predictably lethal. Hit a major artery with a .22 long rifle and it's a life threatening matter.

For the distinction 'dangerous and unusual weapons' to be meaningful, the threshold for dangerous and unusual must rise significantly above the basic level of danger present in any small arm.

We don't need to classify our handguns, pistols, and shotguns beyond the category of small arms. One possible exception could be F/A, although I'm not convinced that F/A small arms ought not be covered under some set of criteria. In other words allowable, but with a higher degree of training, etc.

May 11, 2009, 02:23 AM	#1
maestro pistolero Senior Member Join Date: August 16, 2007 Posts: 2,153	Defining Dangerous and Unusual The phrase 'dangerous and unusual weapons' ought to be interpreted as weapons that aren't small arms. Dangerous and unusual means grenades, mortars, RPG's. etc. on up the dangerous scale. Here's why I think this to be true. Dangerous and unusual cannot generally include small arms, because in reality, any one of them is nearly as dangerous as the next. A head shot from almost any small arm, in almost any caliber, is predictably lethal. Hit a major artery with a .22 long rifle and it's a life threatening matter. For the distinction 'dangerous and unusual weapons' to be meaningful, the threshold for dangerous and unusual must rise significantly above the basic level of danger present in any small arm. We don't need to classify our handguns, pistols, and shotguns beyond the category of small arms. One possible exception could be F/A, although I'm not convinced that F/A small arms ought not be covered under some set of criteria. In other words allowable, but with a higher degree of training, etc.