From: [d--wc--b] at [whale.st.usm.edu] (Donald R. Newcomb)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: [HISTORY,MACHINE-GUNS] Manual multi-fire (Was AR-15 3rd burst)
Date: 9 Nov 93 04:33:25 GMT

In article <[viking 752736352] at [raquel.agron.iastate.edu]>,
Dan Sorenson <[v--ki--g] at [iastate.edu]> wrote:
#[h--s] at [unity.ncsu.edu] (HENRY E SCHAFFER) writes:
#
##  Is the National Firearms Act of 1934 as Amended a "good reference"?
#
#	No.  It was written by politicians of no imagination.

In reality that definition was "written" by Gen. Milton A. Reckord
and Mr.  Karl T. Frederick both of the NRA. The original draft of
the NFA defined a "machine gun" as a firearm which could discharge
N (6 as I remember) or more shots without reloading. This was intended
to cause all revolvers and semi-auto rifles and some shotguns to
fall under Federal regulation. It was only the very timely notification
of the  membership and their subsequent calls, telegrams and letters
to  their congressmen that got that definition changed. 

-- 
Donald R. Newcomb              * University of Southern Mississippi
[d--wc--b] at [whale.st.usm.edu]      * "The God who gave us life gave us liberty
[d--wc--b] at [falcon.st.usm.edu]     * at the same time."  T. Jefferson (1774)