How the AR-15 became 'America's national gun' and loved by the National Rifle Association

[Social Media]

The National Rifle Association (NRA)'s annual meeting this weekend will follow two back-to-back mass shootings.

The attacks in Nashville and Louisville, Kentucky - which together killed 11 people in just two weeks - have re-ignited nationwide protests and demands to ban military-style rifles.

But in the NRA's 14-acre exhibit hall, business is booming. There are hundreds of booths dedicated to customising the same gun that's become the mass shooter's calling card: The AR-15.

Affordable, customisable, lightweight and lethal, the AR-15-style rifle has become a lightning rod in America's bitter culture war over guns. As courts debate the constitution's Second Amendment, which guaranteed the right to bear arms, and consider whether to expand or restrict gun rights, the rise of the AR-15 is a flashpoint for both sides.

But the country didn't arrive at this moment by chance, experts and gun-industry insiders say. Here's how millions of Americans came to embrace the AR-15.

• AR-15: The lethal weapon at heart of US gun debate

[candide]

So if I understand well, It's popular because it is easy to use, and one can quickly kill many people.

No comment needed.

[Tug]

It looks mean and threatening so these wanna bees get all puffed up makes them feel tough guess they are compensating for something ehhh?

[Chomper Higgot]

Laughing emojis on a subject like this.

 

Go figure.

[ozimoron]

The scary thing thing about average intelligence is that half the people are below it.

[OneMoreFarang]

56 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Laughing emojis on a subject like this.

 

Go figure.

I don't think we have a crying emoji reaction in this forum. 

 

I guess one must be an American to understand those people over there.

[onthedarkside]

Off topic deflection post removed, this topic does not involve Ukraine

[Credo]

It's a weapon of war whose only purpose is to kill large numbers of people quickly.  

 

[tonbridgebrit]

So, Americans love the AR-15.
And across the world, other people love this.

Yes, the AK-47.  Why are Americans different ?

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

5 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

So, Americans love the AR-15.
And across the world, other people love this.

Yes, the AK-47.  Why are Americans different ?

AK-47 is an automatic rifle. For almost all Americans, not legal to possess. 

 

I suspect that if it were legal to own automatic rifles, those with mere AR-15s would upgrade to M-16s or perhaps AK-47s. 

 

I remember the days when the Saturday night special was the weapon that was vilified. Oh, for simpler times!

[KhunLA]

7 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

AK-47 is an automatic rifle. For almost all Americans, not legal to possess. 

 

I suspect that if it were legal to own automatic rifles, those with mere AR-15s would upgrade to M-16s or perhaps AK-47s. 

 

I remember the days when the Saturday night special was the weapon that was vilified. Oh, for simpler times!

Wrong.  It's also available in semi-auto, as I owned one.  Guessing the AR15 is much lighter and cheaper than the AK.

[pomchop]

no worries....bible beaters, republicans, NRA, and delusional people know all they need is thoughts and prayers and no more mass slaughters

[Denim]

9 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Why are Americans different ?

Because they can and do go out and buy one.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Wrong.  It's also available in semi-auto, as I owned one.  Guessing the AR15 is much lighter and cheaper than the AK.

I stand corrected. There is a semi-automatic version available which is legal in most states in the US.

[Denim]

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Wrong.  It's also available in semi-auto, as I owned one.  Guessing the AR15 is much lighter and cheaper than the AK.

The AKM has three modes of firing regulated by the selector switch: safe, when it cannot fire; semiautomatic, for the squeezing off of single shots; and automatic, to spit lead at a rate of 700 rounds per minute.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a6301/anatomy-of-an-ak-47/

 

I had a go with one in Cambodia long ago. Don't know if you can still do that as not been back for about 20 years.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Denim

[thaibeachlovers]

From the BBC article, and is rubbish. A semi auto can only fire as often as one can pull the trigger, so not many per second at all.

 

Professor Metzl, for his part, said that the simplicity of the weapon that makes it a favourite of enthusiasts also makes it a preferred option for would-be mass murderers.

"If you're trying to kill a lot of people. They're just very effective. You can fire that many bullets per second and at that velocity, it's a perfect killing machine," he said.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

So, Americans love the AR-15.
And across the world, other people love this.

Yes, the AK-47.  Why are Americans different ?

Never held one but I understand the metal parts are all steel, and the rest is wood, which would make it heavy, The M16, which I have used extensively, is very light. The AR 15 is basically an M16 without auto.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't think we have a crying emoji reaction in this forum. 

 

I guess one must be an American to understand those people over there.

Not at all. I never lived in the US, but I owned 3 weapons- 2 rifles and a shotgun. No longer though.

If I lived in the US I'd have a lot more than that, including handguns, and lots of ammunition ready in magazines.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, Credo said:

It's a weapon of war whose only purpose is to kill large numbers of people quickly.  

 

Also useful for killing criminals that try to attack one and one's family in one's home.

[Bkk Brian]

11 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

From the BBC article, and is rubbish. A semi auto can only fire as often as one can pull the trigger, so not many per second at all.

 

Professor Metzl, for his part, said that the simplicity of the weapon that makes it a favourite of enthusiasts also makes it a preferred option for would-be mass murderers.

"If you're trying to kill a lot of people. They're just very effective. You can fire that many bullets per second and at that velocity, it's a perfect killing machine," he said.

While a standard AR-15 is semi, bump stocks are not banned and used in some mass murder tragedies such as the Las Vegas Strip.

 

"The gunman, Steven Paddock, brought ammunition and an arsenal of 12 semi-automatic AR-15-style rifles that he converted with “bump stocks” to fire about as quickly as fully automatic weapons."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-lawsuit-idUSKCN1TY2GF

[pomchop]

9 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Also useful for killing criminals that try to attack one and one's family in one's home.

And how many home invaders have been killed by ar 15 compared to how many innocent people killed by idiots with ar 15 that never ever should be allowed to buy a weapon of war??

 

If u really want to kill a home invader your best weapon is likely a 12 gauge shotgun as it would be almost impossible to miss.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

While a standard AR-15 is semi, bump stocks are not banned and used in some mass murder tragedies such as the Las Vegas Strip.

 

"The gunman, Steven Paddock, brought ammunition and an arsenal of 12 semi-automatic AR-15-style rifles that he converted with “bump stocks” to fire about as quickly as fully automatic weapons."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-lawsuit-idUSKCN1TY2GF

I have no problem with banning any modification that allows a civilian to own an auto or nearly auto rifle.

I agree that a fully auto weapon has no place in any civil society.

 

IMO they are a waste of ammunition even in a military situation, and we were never authorised to use the M16 in other than semi auto mode. One should never pull the trigger if one can't aim it at something.

[KhunLA]

12 hours ago, Credo said:

It's a weapon of war whose only purpose is to kill large numbers of people quickly.  

 

I doubt if the AR-15 is used by any military, so no, it is not a weapon of war.

[Bkk Brian]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

I have no problem with banning any modification that allows a civilian to own an auto or nearly auto rifle.

I agree that a fully auto weapon has no place in any civil society.

 

IMO they are a waste of ammunition even in a military situation, and we were never authorised to use the M16 in other than semi auto mode. One should never pull the trigger if one can't aim it at something.

Its not only the bump stock problem, the AR-15 ammo and its velocity is responsible for far more damaging wounds to a persons body leading to higher death rates when its used.

[2baht]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Also useful for killing criminals that try to attack one and one's family in one's home.

I guess you mean Americans attacking Americans!

[KhunLA]

13 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

So, Americans love the AR-15.
And across the world, other people love this.

Yes, the AK-47.  Why are Americans different ?

AR-15 is simply better for most uses:

https://www.diffen.com/difference/AK-47_vs_AR-15

 

Not a fan of the AR-15, especially for the price.

 

Thought my Ruger Mini 14 a far superior firearm.  If I could only have 1, it would be the Mini 14.

 

AK-47 was fun to shoot.

FN49 even more enjoyable, as was my Mauser 8mm.  Both very heavy and would hate to haul them around the forest if hunting.

 

For home defense, 357mag, or pistol grip short Mossberg 12ga would be my choice, and owned both.

 

Glock 9mm for concealed carry, is pretty hard to beat.

Edited April 16, 2023 by KhunLA

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I doubt if the AR-15 is used by any military, so no, it is not a weapon of war.

I'm sure actors used them in war movies as they looked identical. Probably easier to get than M16s.

[spidermike007]

The US is a very sick, demented, twisted, confused, and morally bankrupt culture. It is a nation in rapid decline. It is not even a pale shadow of what it used to be. I am infinitely disappointed in my country. They could do so much better. 

 

You want sour and sober? You want

disenfranchisement and disappointed? You want unpleasant and stressed? Come to America. 

 

Something needs to be done. And American politicians are very weak and in constant fear of fighting a constitutional amendment that was written at a time when militias were needed and guns were manual and fairly primitive.

 

Everything has changed, and the amendment does not have the same meaning, nor should it. Violence is out of control, yet they do next to nothing about it. America seems to adore it's violence. 

 

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks shootings in the US, there have been 214 mass shootings in 2022 alone. And nearly that amount up to this point this year. 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by spidermike007

[Lemsta69]

48 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I doubt if the AR-15 is used by any military, so no, it is not a weapon of war.

Of course it's a weapon of war. It was commissioned by the US military in the 1950s and was used in Vietnam before the M16, which was based on the AR-15, was introduced. 

 

https://gundigest.com/gun-reviews/the-ar-16m16-the-rifle-that-was-never-supposed-to-be/amp#top

[KhunLA]

1 minute ago, Lemsta69 said:

Of course it's a weapon of war. It was commissioned by the US military in the 1950s and was used in Vietnam before the M16, which was based on the AR-15, was introduced. 

 

https://gundigest.com/gun-reviews/the-ar-16m16-the-rifle-that-was-never-supposed-to-be/amp#top

Not the civilian version and I doubt if any military uses it today.   US military didn't like it, and why it was upgraded to the M16. 

 

If it wasn't for the media, and the attempt to ban it, it wouldn't be so popular.  For 30 yrs, it had poor sales, and not until the Brady bill did sales rocket.

 

With every attempt to ban it, sales and profits (price also) have gone up.   You want to encourage people to own something .... tell them they can't.