Posted on 02/26/2018 5:04:26 AM PST by Kaslin
When it comes to public relations, the much-maligned AR-15 has had a rough go of late. Blamed for everything from the bubonic plague to school shootings it was actually used in (because as we all know, it’s never the perpetrator), it would be easy to be duped into thinking the world would be a veritable paradise if only this particular scary looking “assault-weapon” were somehow legislated out of existence.
Granted, the lofty rhetoric employed by liberal politicians, gun control groups, and well-coached, albeit sympathetic Parkland students is sometimes difficult to defend. Despite the multiple failures at multiple agencies that could have prevented or at least mitigated his crime, the fact that killer Nikolas Cruz did indeed employ the weapon to murder 17 students in a place they should have felt safe is incontrovertible.
Which creates an ideal opportunity for the Left to employ the best tool at their disposal - rhetoric. And yes, especially when it’s skillfully employed by kids who might otherwise be engaged in playing video games and eating Tide pods, rhetoric can definitely be a powerful thing.
Which makes countering it even more important, but how? Sure, we could try - you know - facts, and they ARE on our side here. For example, even though it has admittedly been used in several high-profile school shootings of late, the AR-15’s involvement in overall crime in the United States is much less than the fear-mongers would have us think. Even NBC admits that “despite its use in many mass shootings, the popular AR-15 rifle accounts for relatively few murders,” - or, to be specific, about 3 percent of overall firearm homicides in 2016. This, despite the over 15 million AR-style rifles in America today.
There’s more, of course, most of which has been covered exhaustively here on Townhall. But facts bolstered by statistics aren’t necessarily the best way to counter rhetoric. No, the best way for that is to use equal or more powerful rhetoric, and the good news is our side has plenty of that too.
To that end, let’s review a few ways the much-maligned AR-15 style rifle has been employed to actually SAVE innocent lives rather than take them. After all, are liberals really saying that the people listed below should have been assaulted and even killed in the name of ridding the world of the weapon they successfully used to defend themselves?
The answer, of course, is yes. That is indeed what they’re saying, and what they mean, though few will admit it. But we aren’t trying to convince hard-core liberals here, just ordinary Americans who might, given the current political situation, be inclined by their rhetoric.
March 2017. 23-year-old Zach Peters woke up to “loud bangs” in his father’s kitchen. When he went to investigate, it was a good thing Peters took his AR-15 with him because in his kitchen were three intruders dressed in all black, one of whom was armed with a knife and another with brass knuckles. In an act that was justifiably ruled as self-defense, Peters opened fire and deprived the world of three more scumbags.
April 2013. A drug addled Jasper Brisbon, 32, forced his way into a Philadelphia couple’s apartment and continued to press his advance despite multiple requests from the armed resident to leave. The resident finally used his legally obtained AR-15-style weapon to fire one shot at Brisbon, hitting him in the torso and eventually killing him.
February 2013. A “gun-slinging couple” who tried to rob what they thought would be an easy mark, a tax preparation service, got “an AR-15 surprise” when an assault-rifle wielding security guard sent them packing with his scary looking gun and a couple of near misses.
January 2017. Two Houston gun store employees successfully fought off five armed would-be robbers with the help of, you guessed it, an AR-15.
May 2014. Homeowner Jonathan Haith used an AR-15 to shoot an armed intruder in his own hallway.
January 2013. A couple of armed criminals who had broken into the apartment of a Rochester Institute of Technology student decided to leave and try a softer target when they confronted the barrel of the student’s AR-15, which was unloaded but “scary looking” enough to do the job with nary a shot fired.
July 2015. Three armed robbers who tried to break into a Milwaukee high-end clothing store by ramming it with a stolen van were met with a surprise of a different sort in the form a hail of bullets from owner Rami Murrar’s AR-15 rifle. Not only was the robbery unsuccessful, but one of the intruders got a few bullet wounds and a prison term for his efforts.
January 2013. When two burglars broke into their home while their parents were gone, a 15-year-old Texas boy used his dad’s AR-15 to defend the life of both himself and his then 12-year-old sister.
While the AR-15 rifle can certainly wreak havoc when in the hands of an evildoer, it can also be a powerful tool for defending the innocent. Further, as the last example attests, its lightweight frame and easy to use mechanics make it a useful equalizer that women and even teenagers can use to defend against those who would do them harm.
Let’s not forget the much-cited example of Korean shop owners using the weapon to protect their stores from looters during the LA riots. Indeed, there’s a reason it’s been dubbed “America’s Rifle,” and it’s not because of psychopaths like Nikolas Cruz.
Sheriff Jim Wilson writes, “In fact, the AR is a rather good choice for home defense. It is lightweight and the caliber choices are effective against armed criminals. Its profile is one that is readily recognized by most people and the crooks who see it in your hands will get the idea that you mean business and can probably take care of business if forced to.” Wilson also cites the fact that the weapon is “short and portable,” thus helping homeowners avoid the “defensive mistake” of allowing the barrel to alert intruders of the defender’s presence.
If, as even the most rabid gun control proponent would admit when pressed, the vast majority of America’s approximately 15 million AR-15 owners would use their weapons for self-defense rather than for unlawful purposes, what justification can possibly made for disarming these people in an effort to try to disarm criminals who wouldn’t follow the law anyway?
In the end there’s no logical justification, only empty rhetoric.
Very odd. The leftys seem to be VERY angry at AR’s. Maybe we should compromise and all move to AK-74s or something.
I read an account by some person who said these types of weapons were no good for hunting because they weren’t accurate, they were intended to kill and maim people only.
I stopped reading.
As long as the AK-47 weapons aren’t painted black, that should calm them down!
(for a supposedly tolerant people, the left really gets upset about weapons that are black! BLACK WEAPONS MATTER!)
They are angry at anything that makes controlling you more difficult for them ...
It’s not about firearms as much as it’s about hating nonconformist thinking. The NRA is at the epicenter of such unpopular ideas. That’s why the AAA is never blamed for the 50,000 deaths caused by automobiles.
I don’t blame you. What an idiot that writer is. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever
Was there a church shooting recently stopped by a neighbor with an AR?
We need more articles like this with specifics.
You also see articles mentioning how they aren’t practical for an average person to use for home defense. Some of these writers make you wonder if we are discussing the same AR15 we all know. It’s hard to imagine something more accurate under stress, more ergonomic, or anything with higher effectiveness and lower recoil.
A shotgun is devastating, but running one well nearly is out of reach for some people physically speaking. If you have the hand and eye coordination and the strength to run a blow dryer you should be able to make an AR sing your song.
Pfft. Not practical for home defense????
Granted, in tight quarters and not being trained effectively it might not be as easy to handle as a handgun, but if I had to choose...something with a 30 round mag versus 10 rounds? More accurate?
I would take a AR-15 as might you.
And we all know where they stand...
Remember, for the first 25 years of demanding gun control, the target was only HANDGUNS. Not being able to ban them they then tried for semi-auto rifles. If they make a ban stick they will then again be back for the handguns.
The purpose of the 2nd Amendment is to keep the Tyrants at bay, who would snuff out the rest of the Bill of Rights.
So, the 30 million or so ARs in civilian hands, do their job every day.
Remember when NBC set up a truck wreck to burst into flames, using flares to light the fire?
Then ABC filmed and showed fake footage for a spy report as they had no actual film.
Then CBS faking footage of an an AK-47 firing, then showing a watermelon being blown apart by a different weapon with an exploding bullet.
I’ve learned NEVER to trust any report from the news media.
“It’s a tool. No better and no worse than the man behind it.”-SHANE
The only thing that could be “not practical” for AR-15 home defense is due to the fact a rifle of any sort overpenetrates walls making its use in densely populated places, like apartment complexes problematic.
Every other attribute of the AR-15 as a self defense platform, every one, makes it extremely practical for that role.
And a 30 round magazine is absolutely necessary. Think about it; if you are in a shooting combat situation, the situation is existential, the one that runs out of ammunition first is dead. Self inflicted limitations on mag capacity just gives the advantage to the bad guy, as if that is somehow more moral... clearly not a firearms self defense expert of any sort if you try to make that argument.
And let me add. Have you ever tried to shoot at a moving target? How about a moving target that does not want to be shot?
And these self proclaimed experts on firearms and self defense who never shot a gun want to tell us how many shots we have to defend our lives with!
And as if you HAVE to empty the entire magazine even after the threat is over!
We can’t let the left claim ANY sort of authority on the subject. They clearly don’t know what they are talking about.
For those who don’t like scary black rifles, there are wooden stock sets available for the AR platform. Is that better for avoiding emotional trauma in liberals who see one?
They can try to confiscate all of them..........
Face facts. Broward county FLA is libtard central and have no clue about firearms.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.