AR-15 rifles and other weapons are displayed on a table at a shooting range during the “Rod of Iron Freedom Festival” on October 12, 2019 in Greeley, Pennsylvania. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Rep. Kenyatté Hassell’s bill requiring permits for assault weapons stopped me.
Not because there’s anything unusual or objectionable about the legislation . Instead, it was how it laid out the damage a modern, legal firearm can do.
Take the bill’s definition of “assault rifle.” At base, it’s a semi-automatic gun that can accept a detachable magazine. We should all be familiar with that. AR-15-type rifles can fire at least 30 rounds a minute . With training or weapon modifications, that number can go higher.
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But the legislation also notes the other modifications these guns can accept. Like flash suppressors; muzzle brakes; flare launchers and grenade launchers.
Wait – grenade launchers?
I had to look that last one up. Grenade launchers fall under the 1934 National Firearms Act, meaning they’re harder to obtain than other items you’d slap on the rifle. But you can get one, if you pay a fee ; get approval and register it with the federal government.