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The Right to Bear Arms |
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I. Anno Domini 1789
Typical weapon of the time:
Land Pattern Musket (aka “Brown Bess”)
Length: 4 feet, 8 inches
Weight: 10 & ½ pounds
Action: muzzle-loaded flintlock
Rate of fire: 3 rounds per minute in very skilled hands
Muzzle velocity: 785 feet per second
Effective range: 50 yards
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II. 2018 Christian Era
Typical weapon of the time:
AR-15 (aka “America’s Rifle”) *
Length: 3 feet, 3 inches
Weight: 7 & ½ pounds
Action: semi-automatic with 10, 20, or 30-round magazine
Rate of fire: 60 rounds a minute (in the hands of a rank amateur);
120 rounds a minute (in the hands of an adrenalin-charged killer)
Muzzle velocity: 3,300 feet per second
Effective range: 600 meters
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*nickname coined by the National Rifle Association
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Copyright © 2019 by W. D. Ehrhart
This poem currently appears in
Thank You For Your Service: Collected Poems, McFarland & Company, 2019 |
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