Oh good, more "military-style rifles," whatever that means, are off the streets. I feel safer already. Wait. No I don't. A bunch of cops just disarmed a law abiding citizen without so much as charging him with a crime.
It means an intermediate caliber rifle with ergonomics for easier handling and mounting points for force multipliers.
I think there’s a pressing need for civilians to have access to them. Show me a world where the police, criminals, foreign and non-state actors do not need or use intermediate caliber rifles, and I’ll agree that in that world citizens don’t need them either. But like it or not, “military style weapon” is a quantifiable thing, and civilian sporting rifles fall into that category, even if they’re not select fire. Automatic fire has limited application even in a military setting and doesn't make the rifle considerably more dangerous in the arms of a shooter, trained or untrained. Hell, most training specifically conditions infantryman to avoid automatic bursts unless there’s a pressing need, or when doing suppression.
I’ll agree that your average gun control advocate is too ignorant to articulate this point, but it’s disingenuous to pretend that the AR-15 et al. aren’t the same style of rifle adopted by nearly every major military on the planet as a man-portable weapon designed to kill people in the most effective way possible at ranges 300 yards and under. The fact that in the same breath they will argue that it’s okay for the state to have a monopoly on this capability is the true failure point of the argument, and needs to be hammered home.
That plus the fact that when used on unarmed, densely packed civilians, the increased effectiveness of a so-called “assault weapon” is a matter of single digit percentage points compared to a higher caliber rifle, pistol, truck, bomb, or chemical attack. The same features that make the tool more effective in war make hardly any impact when the target doesn’t shoot back, and doesn’t know how to properly escape or take cover.
I feel rather threatened by that. I really need to go buy a gun while it's still legal to do so.
Also, did they bother compensating him at all for the weapons they confiscated? Remember, "not charged with any crime." Is this just more "benevolent civil forfeiture" for the good of society?
I hope he sues the shit out of them and wins enough money to buy a fucking arsenal.
Yo go buy a fucking gun. Even if things get wacky the risk of needing one is relatively low, but the cost of not having one would be dramatic i.e you're fucking dead kiddo.
It’s a buyers market for AR’s right now, with optics and accessories pretty reasonable as well. The gun companies are in a rough situation too, with a hell of a lot of product left over from the pre-2016 panic preparation, a saturated entry level market, and uncertainty as to whether or not the goods will even be legal in a year. Ruger and Smith & Wesson both have entry level AR’s for under $500, and Palmetto State Armory has parts kits and pre-built uppers and lowers you can slap together for $350-$400.
It’s a responsibility though; if you’re gonna get one, make sure you can secure it and have a plan to learn how to shoot it, whether with range time or taking a class or whatever. Buying a gun is telling the world that you’re taking on the responsibility to defend your own life, so make sure you’re actually ready.