(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Army's New Assault Rifle is a Robotic Killing Machine [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-10 US Army's New XM5 Assault Rifle The debate about legislating an assault weapons ban hasn't addressed future designs and capabilities, which will make these weapons much more efficient and much more deadly. That future is now . In April of last year, the DOD announced the next generation of "close-quarters combat" rifles which will be rolled-out to select units, such as Special Operations Forces, in the fourth quarter of this year. The XM5 (assault) rifle and the XM250 automatic rifle (machine gun) use a common 6.8mm cartridge and a new computerized fire-control system, which integrates, among other things, a variable magnification optic, laser range-finder, ballistic calculator, atmospheric sensor suite, compass, visible and infrared aiming lasers, and a digital display overlay. Vortex XM157 Smart Optic Fire Control System The XM157 Fire Control System is described as "... a revolutionary smart optic and communication system that will greatly lower the skill needed to get the most out of the XM5 rifle and the 6.8mm hybrid round." (Ref. The Truth About Guns [4/22/22]). Which simply means that it is a self-ranging and self-aiming assault rifle with situational awareness. Further: "In the near future, soldiers will be able to look into their [XM157] optic and see where friends and foes are, even around corners and through walls and terrain. In other words, it gives soldiers near superhuman abilities and sixth senses on the battlefield. Plus, all of that data gets put into the computer to help the soldier get even more accurate shot placement at long ranges." (ibid. The Truth About Guns). That essentially makes the new XM5 assault rifle a first-generation robotic killing machine. The DOD boasts that it was able to produce the new weapons system in 27 months, versus an expected development time of 8 to 10 years. Imagine what the next generation of close-quarters weapons will look like and how quickly it might be brought on-line. There are those among us who will tell you they have a Second Amendment right to own these weapons. I disagree. I don't believe anyone has the Constitutional right to own any weapon of war that was designed and produced at taxpayer expense to provide weapons superiority to our troops in close-quarters combat operations. I consider it an illegal taking of taxpayer-funded R&D and weapons-system development for personal use. And I believe that the after-market manufacturers of M-16 copycat arms, such as AR-15 style rifles, should be held responsible. If those after-market arms were manufactured under license, I believe that license should be revoked and any abuse of contract terms litigated. I believe all sales of assault weapons ammunition to private citizens should be outlawed. Because if we keep going down this path of an insane interpretation of Second Amendment gun-ownership rights, the carnage in our schools and on our streets will be amplified in equal measure with the increase in assault weapon capabilities. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/10/2163165/-Army-s-New-Assault-Rifle-is-a-Robotic-Killing-Machine Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/