Jump to content


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


Social Media

Recommended Posts

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.

  • Sad 2
  • Thumbs Up 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 ?

1920px-AK-47_type_II_noBG.png

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!

  • Love It 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 by Denim
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Confused 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 ?

1920px-AK-47_type_II_noBG.png

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.

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

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

 

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.

  • Confused 1
  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

  • Like 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Confused 3
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 ?

1920px-AK-47_type_II_noBG.png

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 by KhunLA
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

  • Like 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Confused 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.