Examples of doing it wrong.
Here I will post examples of incorrect reporting of firearms and firearm terminology. This is not to call people out, but merely to show that these things often slip by because of lack of knowledge and poor assumptions.
From the Marine Corps Times
As a result, if Marines and sailors are taking machine-gun fire, it’s probably an AK47 spitting “seven-six-two.”
The Avtomat Kalashnikov is not now and has never been a "machine-gun." While the AK-47 can, in some variations, be set for automatic fire, this does not make them machine guns; this makes them automatic rifles.
Machine guns, by contrast, are often but not always "crew-served" (you need two people to operate it properly.) They are designed for sustained fire (not particularly feasible with magazines) and so are usually belt fed.
I know these distinctions may seem unimportant, but they really are two distinct classes. You're either doing it right or you're not.
From the Marine Corps Times
As a result, if Marines and sailors are taking machine-gun fire, it’s probably an AK47 spitting “seven-six-two.”
The Avtomat Kalashnikov is not now and has never been a "machine-gun." While the AK-47 can, in some variations, be set for automatic fire, this does not make them machine guns; this makes them automatic rifles.
Machine guns, by contrast, are often but not always "crew-served" (you need two people to operate it properly.) They are designed for sustained fire (not particularly feasible with magazines) and so are usually belt fed.
I know these distinctions may seem unimportant, but they really are two distinct classes. You're either doing it right or you're not.
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Permalink Reply by Jonas Hogg on -
PS - as an adjunct, the AK-47 looks like this
The PKM, which is a machine gun from the same "family" as the AK, looks like this.
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Permalink Reply by Jonas Hogg on
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I know, but the point of this thread isn't to be yet another "OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG journalists don't know about guns" riot. There are plenty of those all over the Web.
I really, hope that this group becomes a place for people with a real desire to get the story right. Or for copy editors to learn or newsroom leadership to ask general questions.
As for my opinion - not only is writing about guns interesting, it's fun too! -
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Permalink Reply by Jonas Hogg on
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By all means we should point it out, hence the title of this thread.
But many gun owners tend to make this an excuse to club reporters and media outlets over the head with their errors. There's a big difference between correcting/clarifying and berating/badgering. This forum will be chock full of the former and empty of the latter. -
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Permalink Reply by Jonas Hogg on
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Lets nip this conversation now by agreeing to respect each other's opinion. I can't see it as a case of "us versus them" since I'm a member of both us and them. I understand that people are angry and upset about misinformation, and the point of this group is to give people a place to learn.
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Permalink Reply by Jonas Hogg on
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Wenalway,
I'm going to lock this conversation because I don't want the first thread to turn into an "internet argument."
Please PM me if you want to continue this conversation. -
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