Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: But guns are special [View all]jimmy the one
(2,708 posts)ezra: Go to a typical rifle range on a typical Saturday, and half the centerfire rifles on the firing line will be AR-15 variants or other modern-looking rifles.
That's not a valid use to justify the army's semi auto virtual version of their assault rifle, in peaceful communities. Like justifying heroin for it's pleasureable qualities.
What good are assault rifles in deterring crime, safeguarding homes, or providing some positive benefit from usage which couldn't be accomplished with a more conventional & 'safer' rifle? The ar15/m16 have such little recoil they perforce become more accurate when shooting quickfire, than rifles with higher weight bullets.
There. is. no. beneficial. cogent. usage. for. ar15s. in. communities. To outweigh real & potential hazards. Personal Pleasure is not a consideration to justify them.
Plinking varmints with an ar15 at distance is ridic too, problematic in that the bullet can carry far more than a 22 short of long. Carry to where?
ezra: They are an excellent choice of defensive long gun for the home, offering almost as much effectiveness as a shotgun with less hazard to neighbors/bystanders than buckshot or handgun rounds.
Already had this discussion, switch to birdshot in the shotgun, as advised in a last year's gun magazine (something like AR15 magazine is it?). You're just enhancing your argument here, like I enhanced the piledriving affect with .223 handguns.
It's an 'excellent choice' is it? If you have enough money (~$1,000?) to waste for home defense & you target shoot competitively & if you live really really rural & get annoyed with varmints a quarter mile away, yeah I guess so. But if you're a normal ar15 owner, I'll bet most of them wish they hadn't bought the damn thing. That's actually a good thing they cost so much, inhibits propagation.
And I'm sure you meant to write " .. less hazard to neighbors/bystanders than buckshot or SOME handgun rounds." Didn't you?
By default I assume you agree that ar15s rank very low regarding defensive gun uses. That is actual usage. You just cant' get a 'verbal dgu' if you bluff & say to burglar 'go away or I'll get my assault rifle'. Nah, no cigar.