AR-15s are demonized by the left constantly to satisfy their authoritarian desires for gun control. Here are seven things you need to know about AR-15s.
1. AR-15 stands for ArmaLite Rifle, not “assault rifle.” ArmaLite is the company that first produced the AR-15 in 1958. AR-15 does not stand for “assault rifle” because the firearm doesn’t fit the criteria for an assault rife.
2. The physical features of an AR-15 are based off the M16, but that doesn’t mean the gun itself is an M16. As AR15.com explains, the parts of an AR-15 and M16 are very similar and the differences are minute. For instance, the hammer of an M16 has a hook and the AR-15 does not. The trigger of an M16 is open and closed for the AR-15. Looking at pictures of the two guns, you would never notice the difference.
But there is a key difference between the two: an M16 is a fully automatic weapon, which is defined as “a firearm that reloads itself and keeps firing until the trigger is released.” An AR-15, on the other hand, is a semi-automatic weapon, meaning it only fires as many times as you can pull the trigger.
3. The AR-15 is “the most popular firearm in the U.S.,” according to The Dallas Morning News. That’s because of its availability, ability to be customized, and how comfortable and easy it is to shoot. Ars Technica founder Jon Stokes explained the love gun owners have for the AR-15 in a blog post on Medium, where he wrote: “An AR-15 owner doesn’t have to buy and maintain a separate gun for each application, nor does she need a professional gunsmith to make modifications and customizations. In this respect, the AR-15 is basically a giant lego kit for grownups.”
It is also a useful firearm to defend yourself, given the fact that you don’t need to constantly reload it as you would with a single-shot firearm; it’s light and comfortable to use..
Unsurprisingly, the AR-15 has become more popular now that leftist Democrats are demonizing them.
4. An AR-15 does not have as much power as many people think it does. As Independent Journal Review‘s Joe Perticone writes:
The AR-15 is not that powerful when compared to common hunting rifles. A .223 round is often too small to take down large game like deer and elk.
In many cases, the .223 is prohibited for hunting certain game. Because of its lack of power, it might not fully kill the animal, leading to suffering.
For instance, in the state of Washington, all big game — with the exception of cougar — can only be hunted with a minimum of .24 caliber (6mm) centerfire rifle.
The .223 is the cartridge that is used in an AR-15.
5. An AR-15 cannot be fired 700 times in a minute. The Daily Wire debunked that myth here. It also can’t be as easily converted into an automatic weapon, as many leftists claim:
It is actually not that easy to convert an AR-15 into an automatic weapon, especially since an AR-15 has a tendency to jam up and stall if it fires too quickly. It is also illegal to convert the AR-15 into an automatic weapon. There are legal methods that can make it easier to fire the trigger, but doesn’t necessarily turn it into an automatic weapon.
6. An AR-15 is not the weapon of choice for mass shootings. Most shootings are committed with handguns, at 47.9 percent. AR-15’s and other semi-automatic “assault weapons” were only used in 24.6 percent of mass shootings, according to a Northeastern University study.
7. There is serious concern that a President Hillary Clinton would ban the AR-15. In doing so, she would suddenly make numerous law-abiding gun owners into criminals. The firearm industry is now pouring money against Clinton in order to protect the AR-15.
