ARs...Help Me Understand

[reelapeelin]

I have 5 guns...two hand guns and three shotguns...had I ever taken up deer hunting, there would be one or two deer rifles. Gun ownership I get. ..but haven't been able yet to wrap my head around the need to own an AR w/30 shot clips. I shot one recently and it is quite a nice weapon, but I just wouldn't care to own one.

I know several here do and that's cool...I'm not tryin' to be snide or anything...just trying to understand the need for private citizens to own these...I'm spending time fighting the very loud gun control people in my life right now and I have no defense for ownership of AR-type weapons...anybody wanna jump in here?

And please answer this from a personal perspective...let's not make an anti-Obama thing of this...it ain't a political question.

[smokeonthewater]

Very simple... this is america and we don't have to justify anything we own with "needs"
I don't need a 30' boat. Nobody needs a 500 hp hotrod. Nobody NEEDS thousands of things that we all own or wish we owned. Many of those things can be very dangerous in the wrong hands...
Imagine how many people could be killed Bob Motz decided to plow his 200+ mph jet powered semi into a school. The AR isn't what kills people but the evil nutjob person is...... A person hell bent on death could kill 20 plus people very quickly with a chainsaw, machette, 22 revolver with speed loaders, or even a baseball bat.

Take one weapon away and the psycho will simply find another.... Sad but true

Owning an AR is just like any other thing .... because we can.

[spareparts]

i own on for the same reason I own a 22, it was(until the reelection) a cheap way to go plinking, up until recently, good premium ammo was 20 cents a round, now since the reelection, its gone up to +50 cents a round. If you like shooting longer range than a 22 lr will cover, the 223/5.56 was the cheapest way to go. For those that hunt, an AR has become one of the best hog guns out there, especially when you have multiple hogs to get. Prarie dog shooters have been using the ar platform for 30 +years, its become very popular with most small game hunters. It bridges the gap between rim fire and full load large caliber rifles. For the non hunter, ar's have become adult legos. allowing each person to tailor their gun to their own needs with out having to have a gunsmith on retainer. There are plenty of other guns out there that are fare more effective that don't enjoy the popularity that ar's do just because you have to be a machinist to modify them to your taste. Contrary to what the media says, painting a gun black, accessory rails, putting a muzzle break on it, adding a pistol grip, and giving it a military name doesn't make it any more dangerous than any other gun. if they used common sense, rather than political rhetoric in the media, they would be far more worried about "Turkey Style" 3 1/2 magnum shotguns(who cares about bullet proof vest, teh impact alone will kill you with out going thru) and flat shooting bean field(sniper) 300+ caliber rifles that will reach out and touch some one from 1000 meters. IF I were going to equip a fighting force, that's what I'd equip them with,




personally, i think we need tighter controls on subscriptions(anti depressants) than we need on guns and why keep medical records sealed?

[tsubaki]

reel, ask your wife about the shoes she owns. Place that same perspective on firearms or anything else. Personal preference, it's an illness.
I for one don't like semiauto's but do own them and use them. My problem is I primarily use a firearm for hunting and target purposes. Picking on the long guns, I prefer a single shot.
For my purposes, a magazine longer than what a 5 round would hold is too aggravating in an AR type setup. But i do have several 40 rounders, 30's and 20's.
Using women's shoes mentality, I got 12" pumps and look good in them, aggravating as they are, the 4" just don't do it for me.
And two deer rifles ain't enough!

[UBHSTRY]

Trained on them, went to war with one, and shot thousands of rounds thru them. I like 'em. Its a nice weapon. Only natural I would want one on the *outside*.

[reelapeelin]

Thanks for the honesty, Guys...in short we own them because we WANT to own them...and yer right smoke...beyond wanting them there shouldn't be any further explanation required...I've got things I want, just cuz I want 'em. Pretty simple really. I just wanted to see if there was something more to it that I was missing.

[Destroyer]

I don't own one. Never saw the need for one. I have 10 long guns (mostly 12 ga shotguns), but I have a .22 Marlin semi-auto that can hold 18 rounds, and another Marlin lever action chambered in .35 Remington for use if I ever need to "reach out and touch something". But just because I don't own an AR doesn't mean that if I want one I shouldn't be able to buy one. I simply don't want one. I'd hate for someone to be able to tell me that I can't have it. Really, it's no more dangerous then my black powder muzzle loader. Both can do what they are designed to do. And for that matter, so can my hunting knife or my filleting knife or my sons alum baseball bat. The problem isn't the gun, or the type of the gun. The problem is the person holding the gun. And I don't know a single person alive that can tell me when an otherwise normal person is suddenly going to "snap" and reach for the gun that he or she has safely owned for the last 20 years.

[Kracker Jack]

The issue here is that the AR to guns is like pitbull to dogs. Everybody talks **** about a pirbull but its just simply a dog that's choosen to to be mean because of its owner . AR are choosen because they have a huge market for high Capacity clips and cool accesories. Now see im a hound dog kind of guy, i own 20 long guns and 2 pistols all bought for a sole purpose. I have no need for a AR but if I want to buy one and customize it I should be able to because I'm a responsible law abidding gun owner.

[Curapa]

I have an arsenal of weapons,... handguns, long guns, shotguns and assault rifles. I do not and have not hunted about 12 years and all of my weapons now are for my entertainment purposes only. So why do I own assault rifles with 30 rnd mags? Because they kick ***!

When something bad happens like the school shooting everyone is quick to find blame in something. Whether its guns, lack of religion or whatever. The fact is, people can do some pretty messed up things no matter if there no access to weapons, they are raised loving Jesus or...

People think back to when they were kids and recall how they did not have to worry about things like this but the truth is senseless tragedy has always been a mainstay in human culture. The problem is the media now glorifies these idiots making them "immortal".

In 1927 the Bath School dissaster occured, 38 people died (mostly children) and 50+ people were injured. This was done with rigged explosives throughout the school way before any of us were born. If there is a will there is a way and people have always been crazy.

[roffey]

Up here in Canada the Government introduced gun control. For the life of me I can't understand how gun control will ever help prevent someone or persons doing something as evil as taking the life of an innocent. If a bad sole is going to do something bad does anyone truly think using a legal or illegal gun is going to enter in to their mind set***8230;