Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Actually I would say an overwhelming majority of people that buy in the AR-15 legally buy it for target shooting or hunting. Which would be the same reason they buy most other firearms.
Its not a very practical self-defense weapon. At close range the shotgun is much more effective, and the handgun easier to use. There is a reason law enforcement opts for the MP5 or a shotgun in breaching scenarios.
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I started with the AR-15 talk, but really I wanted to generalize and include any assault rifle.
I doubt your claim of actual use of assault rifle owners is provable either way. I'd guess there are also a lot of people with an assault rifle in the closet because they feel safer for having it, and the guy at the gun store just wanted the sale and didn't bother educating the customer on the practicalities of it.
What I DO know, though, is if a guy gets fired from his car dealership where he worked 30 years and is seeing red about it, he can drive down the block to WalMart and return with an assault rifle and blow away his former co-workers. Or he goes home and retrieves it from his closet. Hyperbole, perhaps, but there is a lot of "emotional gun use" in the US.