psi_radar
Black Belt
First off, I'm a hunter (eat what I kill, squirrel, elk, deer, or whatever) and a gun enthusiast, and this incident makes me absolutely sick. It's a hunter's worst nightmare, as well as a real knock to those of us who use guns responsibly. (BTW, using a .22 to deer hunt is extremely irresponsible.)
In most states it's illegal to shoot a semi-automatic rifle with more than 4 shots in the clip and one in the breech while hunting. The SKS usually has an internal 10-shot magazine (non-detachable) but can be modified to accept detachable mags. So this guy was definitely on the wrong side of the law if he shot 20 continuous rounds.
The SKS is not an ideal deer hunting rifle. As a weapon, they aren't very well made or particularly accurate, using stamped mass produced parts.
Overall, "assault weapons" by their very nature are compromises. Military research has indicated it's more effective for soldiers to be able to put lots of bullets into the air rather than squeezing off single shots accurately at large distances. Therefore, troops need to carry lots of ammunition so the weapons are designed to use more compact, less powerful rounds. As a result, the SKS 7.62x39 mm round isn't as powerful as sporting rounds of similar caliber. For instance, my 30.06 bolt-action is accurate up until about 400 yards as opposed to the SKS or AK-47's 200--they're about the same size bullet but have less of a charge pushing them. So, some might argue the deer rifle is more deadly, it just doesn't have the same rate of fire.
Borrowing from "The Jerk" I'd say this was a matter of a defective person rather than a failure of gun laws. The ban that was just lifted would not have kept this individual from purchasing this firearm. As for "those gun shows" I just went to one over the weekend and met a whole lot of really nice people including law enforcement personnel (good line of work to get into if you like guns), and just happened to purchase a Romanian SAR-1 and sundry other equipment. They had background checks at the tables and went through all necessary legal procedures--the same routine as if I went to a sporting goods store.
What can we do about something like this? On an individual level, probably not much besides things we learn in martial arts. If you come upon an armed person in the woods, be wary and respectful, and if they get belligerent, don't challenge them. Keep your head, leave and hunt somewhere else or call the cops if it's your property. I was hunting on the continental divide in October and was able to get cell reception the whole time. Ran into other hunters on a number of occasions, all were nice but there's definitely a level of mutual respect and wariness when you know everyone's carrying a loaded firearm. In terms of banning guns, they're already too pervasive in our society to not believe they're here to stay.
In most states it's illegal to shoot a semi-automatic rifle with more than 4 shots in the clip and one in the breech while hunting. The SKS usually has an internal 10-shot magazine (non-detachable) but can be modified to accept detachable mags. So this guy was definitely on the wrong side of the law if he shot 20 continuous rounds.
The SKS is not an ideal deer hunting rifle. As a weapon, they aren't very well made or particularly accurate, using stamped mass produced parts.
Overall, "assault weapons" by their very nature are compromises. Military research has indicated it's more effective for soldiers to be able to put lots of bullets into the air rather than squeezing off single shots accurately at large distances. Therefore, troops need to carry lots of ammunition so the weapons are designed to use more compact, less powerful rounds. As a result, the SKS 7.62x39 mm round isn't as powerful as sporting rounds of similar caliber. For instance, my 30.06 bolt-action is accurate up until about 400 yards as opposed to the SKS or AK-47's 200--they're about the same size bullet but have less of a charge pushing them. So, some might argue the deer rifle is more deadly, it just doesn't have the same rate of fire.
Borrowing from "The Jerk" I'd say this was a matter of a defective person rather than a failure of gun laws. The ban that was just lifted would not have kept this individual from purchasing this firearm. As for "those gun shows" I just went to one over the weekend and met a whole lot of really nice people including law enforcement personnel (good line of work to get into if you like guns), and just happened to purchase a Romanian SAR-1 and sundry other equipment. They had background checks at the tables and went through all necessary legal procedures--the same routine as if I went to a sporting goods store.
What can we do about something like this? On an individual level, probably not much besides things we learn in martial arts. If you come upon an armed person in the woods, be wary and respectful, and if they get belligerent, don't challenge them. Keep your head, leave and hunt somewhere else or call the cops if it's your property. I was hunting on the continental divide in October and was able to get cell reception the whole time. Ran into other hunters on a number of occasions, all were nice but there's definitely a level of mutual respect and wariness when you know everyone's carrying a loaded firearm. In terms of banning guns, they're already too pervasive in our society to not believe they're here to stay.
