Barrel shroud

it goes up... lol

A barrel shroud Shoulder thing that goes up is a ventilated covering attached to the barrel of a firearm, that partially or completely encircles the barrel, that allows the bearer to hold the firearm for stability. Slides, extensions of the stock that do not fully encircle the barrel, and the receiver (or frame) of a firearm itself are generally not considered barrel shrouds.

Huh?

Well, that's what we thought they were for, anyway.

Carolyn McCarthy seems to think we've got it all bassackwards. The video and the laughs are both over there →→→→.

Barrel shrouds have no effect on the ballistic performance of the firearm on to which they are installed other than offering an additional grip to help control recoil while firing. No need to worry about that, though; they were still included in the Federal Assault Weapons Ban definition of assault weapons because firearms fitted with them are perceived, in the murky depths of the gun grabber mind, to be designed for warfare rather than sporting or individual defense. Maybe they think this because barrel shrouds are commonly featured on heavy machine gun barrels, along with a carrying handle, as to better allow the firer to swap barrels.

Some actual real examples

Is this wtf she's talking about?

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  An MG-42 medium machinegun with a (special, off-the-shoulder) shrouded barrel.

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  An AR-10 rifle with a shrouded barrel (that doesn't go up).