Last month, I supplied foundational evidence for the fact there is no such thing as an assault weapon. So now that we are clear on that, what exactly is an AR-15? This will not be an exhaustive explanation, any details you may want to know would best be found at a local gun shop, or through a firearms expert. Information found online can be confusing, inaccurate, and/or inconsistent. Rather, this is just some basic information for you to have and share since gun control is the hot topic of the moment and doesn‘t appear to be fading from public interest any time soon.
I visited a local gun shop so I could understand firsthand and with the help of an expert, what an AR-15 is. (The owner of the gun shop was invaluable for his patience and help in completing this article.) First, everyone is generalizing military style semi-automatic rifles by the nomenclature “AR-15.” This is similar to calling all tissue “Kleenex”. The AR-15 is just one style of firearm on the market. (The Orlando murderer, for example, was actually using a Sig Sauer MCX, not an AR-15 as first reported by the media.) This military styling results in an intimidating “look” and certainly a “cool” factor for firearm enthusiasts. People are purchasing them, I am told, primarily for self-protection and sporting purposes, as well as exercising their Second Amendment rights. They are used for hunting and target shooting. But I have to admit, they are also being purchased because they do have the military styling.
What many people think of as traditional hunting rifles may shoot the same calibers as the AR-15 type rifles, but magazine size is often limited to five rounds (bullets) due to hunting laws. AR-15 type rifles are most commonly sold with magazines that hold 30 rounds, but are available with magazine capacities from one to 200 rounds. I was surprised to learn that many “traditional” rifles as well as most AR-15 style rifles are actually considered intermediate weapons and are not allowed for big game hunting due to their lack of power to effectively and humanely kill large animals.
A semi-automatic firearm means one bullet is discharged each time the trigger is depressed by a finger, followed by a release of the trigger before another round is discharged. The most common calibers for AR-15 style firearms are .223REM or 5.56x45mm. The projectile they fire is smaller in diameter and lighter in weight than common 9mm handgun ammunition. However, the small bullet fired at extremely high velocity (often 2-3 times the speed of the 9mm handgun ammunition) makes it more suitable for ranges from 50 to 500 yards.
Both handguns and AR-15 style firearms require a certain amount of accuracy, bullets can actually hit the target but not disable it. During my reserve police officer training with the City of Portland, we were trained, no matter how well we placed our bullets, to continue shooting until the threat was neutralized. If the bullets did not hit something major in the body, or if the target was under the influence of something like PCP, it could take seconds and many bullets to stop them. The AR-15 and similar rifles are the same way. That is why, if you heard one of the survivors of Orlando describing his experience, he said the killer came back and shot each one of the victims again (fortunately for the survivor the killer hit him in the hand the second time around and he was unbelievably fortunate to survive). I am sure the reason the killer did this was because he knew that there is a chance of survival if shot by either the Sig Sauer or the 9mm he was carrying and he wanted to make sure he finished the job.
Why magazine size is irrelevant in the gun control argument. While the media and your liberal friends may be all about magazine size, it is a false dilemma in my opinion. During my training with the Glock 19, which has a 15 round magazine, I was trained to change magazines very, very quickly through continuous practice which provided me with unfailing muscle memory. This way, during the frequent mandatory qualification testing, where a required magazine change occurred during the exam, the change was imperceptible. The instructions went something like this: “shoot three to the head, mandatory magazine change, three to the torso in [a designated number of] seconds.”
We were trained so well, I think the average citizen watching and listening to us shoot, would barely perceive any delay in action. Anyone could train themselves to be that fast – so if you limit all rifles to five rounds per magazine, all that means is that the bad guys will practice so they become proficient at changing magazines quickly and just carry more of them.
My “pro” 30 round magazine argument is this: for maximum self-protection for the average citizen who is not going to practice enough to attain the skill to make quick magazine changes, they need as many bullets as possible to even out the playing field against the bad guys.
Imagine you are home with your family and three thugs on PCP break into your house – would you prefer a rifle with five rounds or 30? When your life and those around you are at stake, how many rounds are enough? Answer: one more than you need to stop a threat.
What I learned about video games and the AR-15 type firearms that your liberal friends need to know. If you have sanctimonious, gun hating, anti-Second Amendment liberal friends like I do, share this with them please. While I am all for gun ownership for self-protection, hunting, and hobby, I do not agree with glamorizing them as some video games do. According to the gun store owner I visited, young men/boys come in knowing extraordinary details about these guns because of video games.
Apparently video games involving military style weaponry use actual makes and models that exist in the marketplace. Young gamers, fascinated by these weapons, then study up on them and come into gun shops extremely knowledgeable, not only about the rifles themselves, but all the accessories available to trick them out – a sure sign, according to my source, that they learned what they know because of their exposure to some video games. If your liberal friends are allowing their sons to play these types of games, they are being extremely hypocritical. I am just saying – you might want to let them know.
In conclusion, I am a girl but I totally get why men want these firearms. So buy them if you want to, because next month I will explain why I want all responsible citizens to be well armed, and why the Second Amendment may even make it a requirement that we do so.
Who knows, maybe I will buy one myself someday. You can reach me at ctyreeccbd@gmail.com
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