On April 18, 2024, guest speaker Ed Spire presented a very informative program on “assault“ weapons. Apparently, these weapons are a special kind of semi-automatic firearm. The projectiles are much smaller and longer, so they can tumble as they hit the body, and typically have a velocity of 3000 ft./s. Apparently, once they are inside of tissues, they fragment.

Ed went on to explain that this sort of weapon originated with the M-16 rifle in Vietnam - in the 1960s.

Apparently, the new gun law addressing “assault” weapons in Chicago, describes the major facets of this type of weapon, in regard to cosmetic features, as opposed to what he feels is the more fundamental description based on a high velocity from such a large charge on such a small projectile, as well as the widespread damage projectile does such damage.

Apparently, there was no standing army. When provisions were placed into the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, that state malicious needed to be formed.

Ed went on to describe that the Heller decision, passed by a 5/4 decision by the US Supreme Court, stated that the Second Amendment does not require firearms to be limited to use in a militia; but rather, citizens can own firearms separate from a militia.

The major point of Ed’s presentation, is that the definition of “assault” weapons should be based primarily on the type of destruction that a projectile can inflict, because of the very high velocity of a long small projectile.

Pictured on the left is our Rotary club member Marilyn Sainsot on the left and Speaker Ed Spire on the right.