AP News drops "assault weapon" for "semi-automatic rifle"

[Euler]

 

Second Amendment Foundation

SAF said:

After years of incorporating the terms "assault rifle" and "assault weapons" into news reports involving firearms, especially when used in crimes, journalists are now advised by the Associated Press to avoid the "highly politicized terms," and the Second Amendment Foundation says it's a "smart gun change."

...

As noted by [SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M.] Gottlieb, "The gun prohibition lobby has always used 'assault rifle' or 'assault weapon' to confuse and frighten the public and make people think it's a fully automatic 'weapon of war.' Now we'll have to see how intellectually honest journalists will be in adopting this correct terminology, rather than continuing to use these deliberately misleading references.

 

"This laudable effort by the Associated Press may help restore the level of trust the public should have in the media," he observed. "It will be interesting to see if the media now challenges politicians and anti-gun lobbyists whenever they use such terms, especially since 'AR' never referred to 'assault rifle' but to Armalite Rifle, and the gun control crowd has always known it."

[Lou]

I guess the AP finally realized that “assault weapon” is being used as a dog whistle.  

[soundguy]

On 7/15/2022 at 7:13 AM, Lou said:

I guess the AP finally realized that “assault weapon” is being used as a dog whistle.  

 

 

Soon they will find that "dog whistle" is being used as a dog whistle...

[ragsbo]

The term "assault weapon" has lost its shock value so the have to change things up to keep the masses shook up

[BobPistol]

The mask is off.

[Tip]

On 7/15/2022 at 8:04 AM, ragsbo said:

The term "assault weapon" has lost its shock value so the have to change things up to keep the masses shook up

No, it’s because “assault weapon” was too limiting. Semi-automatic rifle encompasses the entire class instead of just them scary black rifles…… and needs no definition. 
Remember the previous AWBs missed some in their definitions of what an AWB was. Banning all Semi-Automatic rifles catches everything. It’s a rifle - check, it’s a semi-automatic - check, it’s banned.

Besides, in liberal minds, AWBs were shot down by SCOTUS, but they didn’t say nothing about Semi-Automatic Rifle bans…..

[cybermgk]

On 7/15/2022 at 10:07 AM, Tip said:

 

Besides, in liberal minds, AWBs were shot down by SCOTUS, but they didn’t say nothing about Semi-Automatic Rifle bans…..

Then they can't read.  AWBs were shot down by proxy, as they fail the new standard of scrutiny laid out AND even in Heller would be considered in common use, with at least ONE lawful use.  THe larger semi-auto category is even MORE protected under those rulings and reasons.

[thepointbeing]

And if the MSM wasn't so ignorant or biased they'd also discontinue the "large capacity magazine" characterization.

[MagSlap]

On 7/15/2022 at 10:07 AM, Tip said:

No, it’s because “assault weapon” was too limiting. Semi-automatic rifle encompasses the entire class instead of just them scary black rifles…… and needs no definition. 
Remember the previous AWBs missed some in their definitions of what an AWB was. Banning all Semi-Automatic rifles catches everything. It’s a rifle - check, it’s a semi-automatic - check, it’s banned.

Besides, in liberal minds, AWBs were shot down by SCOTUS, but they didn’t say nothing about Semi-Automatic Rifle bans…..

 

[2A4Cook]

Yep, they're just retuning the narrative in order to get their zombies to start crying about "semi-automatic rifles," so that they can pursue a more blanket ban.  Anybody who trusts the AP to be "intellectually honest" must be intellectually challenged.

[ragsbo]

It shows that their real ultimate goal is the ban of ALL firearms from the common citizen.

[TK 9mm]

I agree with TIP.  The style change is the beginning of a liberal "assualt" on any semi-automatic rifle to indoctrinate the  masses of American sheeple to expand the degradation of our rights espoused by the 2A and ban more legal guns than the current "assault rifle" category implies.

[RECarry]

More 2022 style changes:

"Democrats" = "Klan"

"Liberals = Fascists"

"Antifa = Brownshirts"

[MrTriple]

I suspect this is more an attempt at rebranding than anything else, since "assault weapon" is a cringe-worthy term that's no longer in vogue. Using it makes them look terribly out-of-touch.

 

There's parallels between this and the switch from calling themselves the "gun control" movement to the "gun safety" movement, since the former had become a tainted brand label.

[Euler]

The anti-2A crowd is opposed to AP's change.

 

Ammoland

Ammoland said:

...

The style tip elicited this reaction on Facebook from Dion Lefler, described online as a senior journalist for the Wichita Eagle: "Who made this bonehead rule? More to the point when and why did the Associated Press become the handmaiden of the gun industry?"

 

That brought a response from photojournalist Laurence Kesterson: "You should re-read the second graf of the AP Style Tip. They're avoiding the terms assault rifles and weapons because they are highly politicized terms while conveying little meaning about the actual functions. You proved their point with your Pavlovian response. Clearly you have a partisan take on guns, and that's okay if your role is as an advocate. However, the AP claims to be nonpartisan journalism, not advocacy."

...

Veteran journalist Emily Miller, author of "Emily Gets Her Gun," entered the discussion with professional level-headedness and simply asked AP in a tweet, "Do you now recommend print reporters put the term "assault weapon" or "assault rifle" in quotation marks inside quotes from political figures? Example: "'Assault weapons' need to be banned," said Pres. Biden at the White House on Monday."

...

Other remarks, from people not part of the media but certainly with anti-gun viewpoints, included "F--k you and the NRA. They care more about profits than gun owners anyway," and "Yeah, shooting grade school kids is pretty sporting."

...

[Quiet Observer]

On 7/15/2022 at 7:13 AM, Lou said:

I guess the AP finally realized that “assault weapon” is being used as a dog whistle.  

So now instead of "assault weapon", "semi-automatic" becomes the evil killer. As we know that includes most modern guns, rifle or pistol. 

Changing AWB to SAWB?

[MagSlap]

Just a thought....

But why is it that 'dog whistles'...are only heard by democrats?

 

Just sayin....

 

ETA: Soundguy.  I suspect you have a journalistic theory on this...right?

[soundguy]

On 7/15/2022 at 9:46 PM, MagSlap said:

Just a thought....

But why is it that 'dog whistles'...are only heard by democrats?

 

Just sayin....

 

ETA: Soundguy.  I suspect you have a journalistic theory on this...right?

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/dog-whistle-political-meaning

[MagSlap]

Hey....It rained.  I think it was a warm front moving in from the west...

What do you think?

 

SoundGuy: Link to definition of rain.

 

(Never dared to address the POINT of why...only democrats seem to identify any 'dog whistles'....)

 

Sigh...while sometimes frustrating...its simply all to easy to point out...

 

[Plinkermostly]

 all to easy to point out... TOO

[BobPistol]

As I said the mask is off.   

After semi-automatic rifles are banned then come semi-automatic handguns.     Then we have most guns banned.    

[illinois_buckeye]

On 7/16/2022 at 9:42 AM, BobPistol said:

As I said the mask is off.   

After semi-automatic rifles are banned then come semi-automatic handguns.     Then we have most guns banned.    

The rifles would be the first step.  We need either a red tsunami in November or scotus to take more 2a cases post haste.  Preferably both.  But after Bruen, I’ve got a feeling a lot of these laws or bans will wind up there.  Possibly sooner than later I hope.  It seemed like they pretty well laid out their feelings, so hopefully they won’t appreciate the politicians pushing so hard.  
 

 

[Flynn]

I think part of this is the Bruen decision, although weak, there is probably someone that said "There is no historical context to 'assault weapon' under the Bruen ruling anymore, let's try try an older word"  aka just the words "assault weapon" themselves fail the Bruen test. 

[Tip]

Words should fail.

With respect to semi-automatic rifles there’s this for historical context,,,,,

 

A hundred and fifteen years ago, in 1907, our great grandparents were first able to buy the rifle pictured below. The semi-auto Winchester Model 1907.
This is a gun they could buy from a Sears catalogue and have delivered via US Post.
It was/is a semi-automatic, high powered centerfire rifle, with a detachable, high capacity magazine.
About 400,000 of these semi-automatic rifles were produced before WW2. Civilians had hundreds of thousands of these over those 40 years, all the while US soldiers were still being issued old fashioned bolt action rifles.
The 1907 fired just as fast as an AR15 or AK47 and the bullet (.351 Winchester) was actually larger than those fired by the more modern looking weapons..
The ONLY FUNCTIONAL difference between the 1907 and a controversial and much feared AR15 is the modern black plastic stock.

The semi auto rifle was not a weapon of war.

The government MADE IT a weapon of war 40 years after civilians had them.

 

 

 

[RECarry]

The mundane semi-automatic rifle did a better job protecting our nation from foreign invaders than a Congress full of self-serving cheats and scoundrels.