Democrat candidate Robert Francis O'Rourke last week at the debate in Houston declared, "Hell yes, we are going to take your AR-15!" Only last year then Senate candidate O'Rourke assured Texans that if you had an AR-15, you can keep it. Speaking to the broader Democrat base, O'Rourke has shifted left and now calls for full confiscation of AR-15s. We must understand that confiscating AR-15's will not be the end. It will only be the beginning.
Statistics show that over 60% of gun-related murder is by handgun. “Assault rifles” account for 4% so those are not the type of firearm used in 96% of the cases. AR-15s are a very popular semi-automatic rifle with 10-30 million owned in the U.S., and in an informal poll, gun shop owners say that about 20% of sales of rifles are AR-15s. The rifles are popular among men and women for many features including light weight, customizations, cheaper ammunition, and less kick-back than other semi-automatic rifles or traditional shotguns. Viral videos of women using traditional shotguns versus AR-15s demonstrate why many choose it. (Example video: https://youtu.be/DUY3V9JFJLg) Also, the name "AR" does not mean "assault rifle", but rather is the name of the manufacturer Armalite Rifle.
Semi-automatic guns are a very common type for both handguns and rifles. Semi-automatic means that the next bullet is loaded into the chamber after one is fired, but the shooter needs to pull the trigger again to shoot. Fully automatic guns (i.e., one trigger pull and multiple bullets fired) are already extremely restricted in the U.S.
‘Assault rifle’ bans create a list based on the ‘look’ or ‘style’ of the gun instead of the operation or functional features. Once some semi-automatic guns are put on a ban list due to their ‘style’, it is easy to see how the list will be expanded by function to most modern firearms. ‘Assault rifle’ is a term that has little meaning, but people, who do not understand the features of guns, can easily agree with a dangerous sounding term and descriptions of ripping flesh and gaping wounds. Of course hunting rifles with larger caliber will create an even more fearsome wound, and even a basic shotgun scatters pellets broadly and will also create a large wound. Besides, handguns are the most common weapon in murders and were the weapons used for the 1991 Texas Luby's Massacre. The gun controllers will come after them ALL for one reason or another because in the end all are capable of killing people. Here is a video demonstrating and making similar points: https://youtu.be/in4XzTZaYp0.
We cannot give up the AR-15 hoping that the gun control advocates will be satisfied. The American left, like the European left, want to disarm citizens for greater control. Vladmir Lenin said, "One man with a gun can control one hundred without one." They may let you keep your revolver and shotgun similar to Mexico where the type of firearms and number per household are extremely restricted and registering them is intentionally cumbersome. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_regulation_in_Mexico) Stricter gun laws have not made Mexico or Chicago safer. Several states in Mexico have been identified by the State Department as 'no-go' zones (https://www.businessinsider.com/mexico-states-no-go-zones-for-americans-us-state-department-2018-1).
In the U.S. guns are used in self defense hundreds of thousands to millions of times per year. Non-suicide gun deaths were reported at under 20,000 in 2018 which, although tragic, is a very small number relative to the over 330,000,000 people in the U.S. where there are over 350,000,000 guns owned by citizens.
While self-defense and hunting are often cited as the reason for owning firearms, the true intent of the Second Amendment is to protect and defend the people from government tyranny. Picture citizens left to throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails as tanks roll against them in China and in Venezuela to name recent examples. To be effective citizens must be able to own semi-automatic rifles capable of deterring federal forces. Deputy Barney Fife with a revolver and one bullet in his pocket may be the model of the left, but our rights to bear firearms must not become restricted to the point of ineffectiveness. We must stand strong for the right of law-abiding citizens to own semi-automatic firearms without bans, burdensome fees, or cumbersome regulations.
