Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
Yeah, people freak out over an AR-15. It's the name (Assault Rifle [sic]), the color (the black rifle), the look of it (it's a military rifle - no, its not), and so on. It's a semi-automatic rifle that fires a a lot of rounds in a short period of time. Lots of guns can do that, but the AR-15 has a special place in people's minds.
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i don't know if i agree - people freak out with respect to the shooting first and foremost; whether or not its an AR-15 type rifle is happenstance. People expect it to be an AR-15 type rifle as that seems to be the weapon used in most of the mass shootings of late.
IIRC, you have some expertise in weapons, so i am wondering what distinguishes the civilian version AR-15 from the military version like the M-16? is it purely the ability to go full automatic with the military weapon?
based on the articles quoting the medical personnel who have seen these injuries up close, the AR-15 does significantly more damage due to the velocity of the bullet than compared to a pistol for example. So, the choice of an AR could be based on how lethal it is compared to something like a shotgun for example
the ARs have a special place in people's minds because they have been the weapon of choice in the majority of the mass shootings that have resulted in double digit casualties...otherwise, most ppl here would have no idea of the difference in the weapons in your image.