Sig XM7 - a short barrelled rifle in common use by the military

[Murray]

Some anti-2A people say we should only be allowed to own weapons in common use by the military. The Sig XM7 is a short-barrelled rifle with a suppressor. Just a thought - I think this changes some of the calculus, at least for those who lean that way.

[Hawkmoon]

I'm confused.

All I have ever heard anti-2A people say is that only the military should be allowed to own "military-grade" firearms -- and they then conflate semi-automatic AR-15s with fully-automatic M16s and M4s. The Sig XM7 is just a replacement for the M4. How does this change the conversation?

[Murray]

Maybe some people in the moderate middle will need to rethink their positions. The general area I have in mind is those who want to draw the line for firearms ownership at rifles and handguns similar to those in use by the military so that they could be somewhat prepared to serve if necessary. I know that's a failure to understand the relationship between a prefatory and operative clause in a sentence, but I'll take what I can get. Or those few souls who can understand that suppressors as useful for protecting our hearing long term.

But to your point, most everyone on the anti-2A side is just looking for an excuse to ban all guns before moving on to knives, pointy marshmallow roasting sticks and anything generally not found in a Kindergarten classroom. It's probably an overreach to think they see anything other than a scary death stick that could go on a rampage all by itself at any moment.

[Hawkmoon]

Before this discussion goes off the rails ...

This discussion area is for talking about laws and civil rights. The rules for this site prohibit political discussion. What new carbine the U.S. military decides to adopt is up to the U.S. military. What civilian activists choose to say and do about that is politics. Nothing about the XM7 changes any laws or regulations.

[Murray]

My apologies, you're right, this is too easy to make political. My time would probably be better spent enjoying the rights I have than speculating about the future anyway.

[Hawkmoon]

The new BATFE regulation that "clarifies" the status of AR-15 and AK-47 pattern firearms with so-called "wrist braces" is an actual regulation that's something I expect will affect many firearm owners. That's the type of issue that's open for discussion here ... but it's difficult to discuss the legal implications without wandering off into politics. And it's probably not constructive to discuss it at the moment, anyway, because the new regulation is currently being challenged in several lawsuits.

The best way to keep track of the situation is to track the lawsuits. I was doing a so-so job of that for awhile, but (as the saying goes) "life intervened," and I have lost track of where the various lawsuits stand.