This could probably be a comment, but I've heard so much of this over the years that I feel I have to turn it into a diary. Please indulge me.
It seems like whenever there is a shooting incident involving long arms (aside from shotguns), the weapon in question is referred to by the police, by the media, and eventually by the general public as a "high-powered rifle".
I have news for you, folks. There really aren't any "low-" or "medium-powered rifles". Nearly all modern rifles are "high-powered". Certainly all those used in mass shootings. The term "high-powered" is redundant, and, I think, ultimately misleading.
Follow me through a few reports from today's latest tragedy:
The Press Association
At least four people have been shot and dozens were taken hostage by a man armed with a high-powered rifle in New York state, US officials said.
Macleans, in Canada
At about 10:30 AM this morning, a man, described as being in his 20s, walked into the American Civic Association in Binghamton, N.Y., carrying a high-powered rifle.
The Daily Mirror in the UK
Mayor Matthew Ryan told the local newspaper, The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, that the gunman had a high-powered rifle.
I know this reads well for the mass audience. And I have every sympathy for those who lost loved ones in this latest crime.
But in the interests of the reality-based community, let's understand something. Apart from .22 rimfire rifles, ALL modern rifles are classified as "high-powered". For all intents and purposes, the term is redundant.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am an owner of a high-powered rifle. It's a Mosin-Nagant, made in Russia in 1940. In theory, it's capable of firing a 7.62mm bullet to a range of about 1,000 metres. It's more or less as high-powered as any other rifle available today.