Both weapon and rifle is the right word. A weapon describes a certain tool, pistol, rifle, shotgun, baseball bat, knives, sling shot whatever. This is like the courts arguing about the definetion of an assault rifle. It doesn' t matter if a person is shooting at you with a single shot .223 a doubel rifle in .505 gibbs a lever action 30/30 a semi auto .308, if he hits you, you will FEEL assaulted.

Also look what P.C. has done for us we now have people saying they harvest game like this is some sterile non-violent way to bring home the venison.
Let' s get real when we put a chunk of lead through a critter or an arrow, we kill it plain and simple. We should not be ashamed of giving an game animal a good, quick, clean death. Look at it this way when we kill wild game it gets a quicker death than nature gives it i.e. being eaten alive by wolves, starving in winter and drought, not being abel to eat due to bad teeth etc.

Sorry to change the subject, but I see it as the same sad topic, the casturization of the American spirit.[:' (]