we can always use a modern anti-tank rifle

Such “panic buying” drove sales of AR-15s to record levels during the presidency of Barack Obama and the 2016 presidential campaign. It is the focus of multiple attempts at prohibition, which in turn has prompted people to run out and buy more. The AR-15 and its semiautomatic cousins - they shoot one round for each pull of the trigger ─ incite repulsion among those who see them as excessive, grotesque and having no place on the civilian market. This is the side of the AR-15 that many don’t see, or ever consider.īecause an AR-15, or a variant, was reportedly used in several mass shootings - including Aurora, Colorado Newtown, Connecticut San Bernardino,California Sutherland Springs, Texas Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida, in which a total of 154 people were killed - this civilian sibling of a military assault rifle is an exceptionally polarizing product of modern American industry. “There are few things you’ll find that are wonderfully appealing to look at, wonderful exercises in mechanical engineering, and that could save your life.” When he takes his AR out of its case at a shooting range, he smiles like he just unwrapped a gift. “There are very few things that serve such a great form and function, and look cool,” said Daniel Chandler, 26, an AR-15 owner here in suburban Maryland.

There are a lot of reasons people love their AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, and it doesn't much matter to them what the haters say.įor some, the gun is a tool, a finely tuned machine that can cut down an animal or intruder, or pierce a distant target, with a single precise shot.įor others, it is a toy, a sleek beast of black plastic and metal that delivers a gratifying blast of adrenaline.Īnd for many, it is a symbol, the embodiment of core American values - freedom, might, self-reliance.

We can always use a modern anti-tank rifle