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THE AR-15: THE GUN LIBERALS LOVE TO HATE
Human Events ^ | 1/2/2013 | David Keene

Posted on 01/02/2013 3:29:20 PM PST by neverdem

The AR-15: The gun liberals love to hate

Politician after politician have joined the television talking heads in calling for a new “assault weapons ban” patterned after the ten-year Clinton ban that was allowed to lapse in 2004 after Justice Department and private studies concluded it had no impact whatsoever on murder and violent crime rates and had become a symbol of wrong-headed governmental attempts to restrict firearms ownership in this country.

California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has called for reinstituting the old Clinton ban to outlaw the sale, transfer and possession of such guns in the future while grandfathering those already in the hands of private parties. Others, like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have gone so far as to suggest “confiscation” or forced “buy back” programs “to get these weapons off the street.” In the last week dozens of commentators, reporters and politicians have said they support the 2nd Amendment, but would support an “assault weapons” ban because such weapons aren’t used for hunting and have no purpose other than to kill people.

While such suggestions reflect a simple minded and narrow understanding of why the founders included the Second Amendment in our Bill of Rights, they also suggest that those making them neither understand the nature of the firearms they would ban, their popularity or legitimate uses.

Those who would ban what they like to call assault weapons like to portray them as automatic weapons designed for use on the battlefield simply because they look cosmetically like their military counterparts. In fact, they are semi-automatic firearms that are designed and built not for the military, but for the civilian market and function differently than their military counterparts. Were our soldiers outfitted with ARs, they would be at the mercy of every army in the world.

The more than three million Americans who currently own AR-15s must wonder if any of these people know what they’re talking about. These guns are not cheap, but they have been the best-selling long arm in this country for some years. Those three million people didn’t buy have purchased them just to look at or because they are planning to use them to kill their fellow citizens.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has surveyed the purchasers of AR-15s. The AR-15 is the most commonly used rifle for marksmanship training and competition. Nearly 90% of those who own an AR-15 use it for recreational target shooting; 51% of AR owners are members of shooting clubs and visit the range regularly. The typical AR owner is not a crazed teenage psychopath, but a 35+ year old, married and has some college education.

The popularity of the AR can be traced in part to the fact that it is a semi-automatic version of the rifle used by the men and women of the military. Nearly half of AR owners are veterans, law enforcement officers, or both. It is a configuration they are familiar with and enjoy shooting. My daughter, for example, served two tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and only owns one gun — an AR.

AR 15s are good for hunting. Some buy an AR for home defense and about six percent of buyers are either collectors or varmint hunters. The standard AR is illegal in most states for deer and big game hunting because it is not considered powerful enough to reliably put down deer-sized or larger game, but is used for coyote, wolf and feral pig hunting in many states.

So the evidence tells us that although Sen. Feinstein and her friends may not know it, millions of Americans buy these guns because they like to shoot them and use them lawfully. The fact that a half dozen out of more than three million have been misused after illegally falling into the hands of crazed killers does not seem to be a reason to ban the popular gun according to most Americans asked in a recent USA Today poll.

These guns are not the weapon of choice for this nation’s criminals or killers. Indeed, the FBI found that in 2010, the last year for which data is available, more people were beaten to death than killed with all long guns including these so-called assault weapons.

It is true that the Supreme Court has left the door open for “reasonable” restrictions on firearms sales. There is good reason, for example, to keep guns out of the hands of felons, those who have been adjudicated as mentally incompetent, or unsupervised children. However there is no evidence whatever to suggest that a ban on the AR 15 or other semi-automatic firearms can be constitutionally justified just so politicians can say they have done something to satisfy the natural public desire act in the face of a tragedy like Newtown. A renewal of a juiced up version of the old Clinton “assault weapons” ban would no doubt make Sen. Feinstein and her friends feel good and deny millions of law abiding Americans the right to own and enjoy a gun protected by the Second Amendment,, but would do absolutely nothing to prevent future tragedies.


TOPICS: Editorial
KEYWORDS: ar15; banglist; democrats; feinstein; fufeinstein; guncontrol; secondamendment; youwillnotdisarmus
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To: jughandle

Basically yes. But there are other details.


41 posted on 01/02/2013 4:59:26 PM PST by davetex (Sick of moochers)
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To: Ajnin

You are so right. On New yawns eve there was an info gal for the incoming sheriff here in broward co (FL) who was repeated on every radio newscast. The message was that you should not fire guns in the air and that an even better option was to “turn in your weapons”. While she did not tell anyone where to go to turn them in, the implications were clear. If she could have seen my hand gestures when her words were broadcast, my suggestion as to where she might go would have been quite clear as well.


42 posted on 01/02/2013 5:00:10 PM PST by lovesdogs
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar
If Winchester had gotten the contract instead of COLT, back in the 1960s, the 5.56 mm it would look like a M1 carbine.

Spent all day yesterday and part of the previous evening shooting a new AR15. Our purpose was zeroing, and that was totally smooth at both 25 and 100 yards. We used both the .223 it is bored for and the alternate chamber that will fire the .22LR.

There was no "full auto" selection, only "safe" and "fire". One round was all one could get out of one trigger pull.

It would be great for coyotes and other varmints, and there is no deer gun season in Ohio except for shotguns and muzzle-loaders. All of us shooting were within a 5 inch circle after it was zeroed, so it would be an ideal varmint rifle.

Surprisingly, not one of us decided to commit mass homicide. /sarcasm

43 posted on 01/02/2013 5:00:25 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: TigersEye

62-grain 5.56 fixes that problem.


44 posted on 01/02/2013 5:06:36 PM PST by MaxMax (Gun free zones was the invitation to gun bans)
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To: Clint N. Suhks; JOE6PAK

http://www.nrahuntersrights.org/Article.aspx?id=6148

From the article:

“Interestingly, Pennsylvania allows the use of some .223s, but bans others — .223s with bolt actions are legal, but not semi-automatics like the AR-15.

“The law’s been on the books for a long time,” noted Jerry Feaser, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. “But hunters can use semi-automatic shotguns for taking small game and waterfowl.”

Apparently Pennsylvania is concerned about deer hunters “blazing away” with semi-automatic firearms—a concern other states don’t share.”


45 posted on 01/02/2013 5:11:15 PM PST by Carriage Hill ("I meant to say maggot, but I have a lisp.")
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To: neverdem
Dr. Suzanna Hupp Testimony (Better Quality) to Congress on the Second Amendment

The last few seconds are priceless!

46 posted on 01/02/2013 5:11:48 PM PST by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: MaxMax

A 123 gr 7.62X39 is nice for a medium powered rifle cartridge.


47 posted on 01/02/2013 5:12:51 PM PST by TigersEye (Who is John Galt?)
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To: eartick

I have also found that the black or camo AR’s are even more powerful. I’ll bet if it had a bayonet lug on it you could drop a blue whale from 100 miles away.


48 posted on 01/02/2013 5:15:52 PM PST by Dutch Boy
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To: davetex; papertyger

Thanks, kinda what I thought.


49 posted on 01/02/2013 5:18:23 PM PST by jughandle
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To: TigersEye; eartick

Don’t forget what a Collapsible Stock, Bipod, Flashlight and Laser will do to make that .556 Round go through an M1 Tank like a hot knife through Butter.

Remember, if you paint an AR Semi Automatic Rifle (Evil Assault Weapon with a mind of its own) anything but Black, Muzzle Velocity is compromised.

I’m looking for the ‘Libtards and Guns” Wikipedia page to do some updating.


50 posted on 01/02/2013 5:27:18 PM PST by Kickass Conservative (I don't Trust a Government that doesn't Trust me. How about you Comrade?)
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To: Dutch Boy
"I have also found that the black or camo AR’s are even more powerful. I’ll bet if it had a bayonet lug on it you could drop a blue whale from 100 miles away."

Sounds like Friday at my house.

51 posted on 01/02/2013 5:35:17 PM PST by West Texas Chuck (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. That should be a convenience store, not a Government Agency.)
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To: Aetius
I oppose banning ARs and other so-called assault weapons, but is it really the case that our soldiers would be at the mercy of every other army in the world if they had civilian AR-15s? Yes, I know that military rifles have a full-auto setting, but as I understand it from talking to a friend who serves in the Army, our guys almost never use the full auto setting in combat because it’s wasteful and less accurate.

There are 2 variants of the M4 carbine:

US Military:
R0920 Safe-Semi-Burst
R0921 Safe-Semi-Auto

The old, original M16 selector switch had Safe-Semi-Auto. The later M16A2 selector switch had Safe-Semi-Burst(3 round), IIRC. I suspect the vast majority of M4 selector switches are Safe-Semi-Burst(3 round).

52 posted on 01/02/2013 5:38:26 PM PST by neverdem ( Xin loi min oi)
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To: maddog55

LOL!


53 posted on 01/02/2013 5:39:57 PM PST by neverdem ( Xin loi min oi)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Thanks for the link.


54 posted on 01/02/2013 5:50:42 PM PST by neverdem ( Xin loi min oi)
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To: Kickass Conservative
What have you got in mind? Becoming Emperor of the Milky Way Galaxy?
The 2nd Amendment isn't about megalomania ya know.
55 posted on 01/02/2013 5:56:39 PM PST by TigersEye (Who is John Galt?)
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To: jughandle
Pardon my ignorant question but I have only seen the AR’s sold in NJ..They have a selector for “safe” and “semi” only. Is that the same in all other states, only the semi-auto version can be sold?

That's basically correct. For fully automatic rifles, machine guns, etc., many states ban them completely. If a state doesn't have such a ban, you need really big bucks to buy those that were made prior to when the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 took effect. You can only buy those made before that ban took effect, and you have to go through the ATF and pay a fee of $200 - $300, IIRC.

56 posted on 01/02/2013 6:14:14 PM PST by neverdem ( Xin loi min oi)
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To: neverdem

Anyone who believes that an AR-15 is the most dangerous weapon that a patriot owns doesn’t have a clue.


57 posted on 01/02/2013 6:20:44 PM PST by sergeantdave (The FBI has declared war on the Marine Corps)
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To: sergeantdave
Anyone who believes that an AR-15 is the most dangerous weapon that a patriot owns doesn’t have a clue.

What would you recommend in it's stead?

58 posted on 01/02/2013 6:32:32 PM PST by papertyger
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To: neverdem

You know that there is an easy solution to the under powered AR-15 in .223 The DPMS Company has a .308 version. I got one several years ago, an absolute tack driver the 308LR with the 16 inch Heavy Barrel.


59 posted on 01/02/2013 6:33:12 PM PST by DeweyShootem
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To: DeweyShootem
I got one several years ago, an absolute tack driver the 308LR with the 16 inch Heavy Barrel.

At what range?

What kind of MOA is it throwing?

60 posted on 01/02/2013 6:37:04 PM PST by papertyger
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