Redefining what firearms are

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I was doing some research today and came across this from E. Providence.

http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?clientsite=eastprovidence-ri

Firearm means any machine gun, pistol, rifle, air rifle, air pistol, blank gun, BB gun or other instrument from which steel or metal projectiles are propelled, except such instruments propelling such projectiles which instruments are designed or normally used for a primary purpose other than as a weapon.

Machine gun means any weapon that shoots automatically and any weapon other than .22 caliber rimfire which shoots more than 14 shots semi-automatically without reloading.

I really need to get out of New England
 
Oh crap so everyone that has pre-ban mags, actually has a machine gun! Oh the horror head for the hills everyone!

Charles.
 
Oh man that's right, they said a .223 round shot in the air could go from commiefornia all the way to commiemass. Oh man have to get underground, but oh wait all the lead in the ground from bullets will just make me sick! OMGOMGOMGOMG (wish I had that little thing with the yellow and red people going back and forth saying this) OMGOMGOMGOMG! What are we going to do, where can we hide? Is the colony on Mars ready yet?

Charles.
 
"...except such instruments propelling such projectiles which instruments are designed or normally used for a primary purpose other than as a weapon."

So if you fire straight into the air to express your satisfaction that Cousin Achmet is finally getting married, you're nor really using a firearm? How does RI get its legislators -- trotlines or gillnets?
 
"...except such instruments propelling such projectiles which instruments are designed or normally used for a primary purpose other than as a weapon."

So if you fire straight into the air to express your satisfaction that Cousin Achmet is finally getting married, you're nor really using a firearm? How does RI get its legislators -- trotlines or gillnets?

Mostly bottom trawlers.

That definition is, well, utterly retarded.
 
dumb asses really should buy a dictionary, or in their case probably a pictionary so they won't get headaches reading.
 
Um....is that a link to the local ordinances?

Whenever I see this sort of thing, I think of Alice in Wonderland:

`And only one for birthday presents, you know. There's glory for you!'

`I don't know what you mean by "glory,"' Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don't -- till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"'

`But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument,"' Alice objected.

`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'


Nice to see that Humpty Dunpty is stil employed.
 
IIRC, Rhode Island has a state preemption on firearms. This would mean that East Providence cannot even define what a firearm is if it contradictory to the state definition. I have not scanned the RI Statutes recently but since Class III weapons/NFA items are illegal for non-FFL's to own statewide, I'm pretty sure the state has appropriately (or at least correctly) identified what a machine gun is.
 
Just found it, here is the RI state definition of a machine gun that E. Providence has no legal standing to usurp:


(6) "Machine gun" means any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term also includes the frame or receiver of the weapon, any combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if the parts are in the possession or under the control of a person.
 
Machine gun means any weapon that shoots automatically and any weapon other than .22 caliber rimfire which shoots more than 14 shots semi-automatically without reloading.


...none of my guns shoots automatically, they only fire when I use my booger hook on the boom switch... so a drum-fed ar-15 is still not a machine gun, right?
 
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...none of my guns shoots automatically, they only fire when I use my booger hook on the boom switch... so a drum-fed ar-15 is still not a machine gun, right?

According to the way I interpret their code, if the drum holds more than 14 rounds it is.


Machine gun means any weapon that shoots automatically and any weapon other than .22 caliber rimfire which shoots more than 14 shots semi-automatically without reloading.
 
Machine gun means any weapon that shoots automatically and any weapon other than .22 caliber rimfire which shoots more than 14 shots semi-automatically without reloading.

14? How random is that? I'm betting that there is an idiot behind this who thinks the "15" in "AR-15" stands for 15 rounds.
 
According to the way I interpret their code, if the drum holds more than 14 rounds it is.

I took the "and" in there to mean that both restrictions had to be met for the rule to take place. Like coding "If (Fire="automatic") and (RoundCount>14) = true Then GoToJail = True" [rolleyes]

If they can interpret it however they want, I can too, dammit!
 
I took the "and" in there to mean that both restrictions had to be met for the rule to take place. Like coding "If (Fire="automatic") and (RoundCount>14) = true Then GoToJail = True" [rolleyes]

If they can interpret it however they want, I can too, dammit!

But then why include the phrase "semi-automatic" as well. If they left "semi-automatic" out I would agree with you. It just sounds to me, like they are trying to define a high capacity semi-auto gun as a MG.
 
I would be a pretty open-and-shut case. If you get arrested for having a "machine gun" in East Providence, it goes to district court, which is a state court. You have an affirmative defense that the Town is breaking the law in charging you and you are within the law. The state judge drops the charges and makes a point of telling the Town their law is illegal. You sue the crap out of E. Providence, make some money and make them look like idiots.
 
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