There has been a common thread among politicians and some other people who think the AR-15 is some magical device that is regularly used thousands of times each year for killing people.
I can say unequivocally that this is simply not the case. If you look at the numbers put forth by the FBI, you can see that people are killed with a rifle, which is what the AR-15 is, hundreds of times each year (not the thousands they want you to believe). While I don’t want anyone to get killed, the only people actively killing others are criminals.
It’s not happening by the rest of us who just really want to be left alone.
That number includes ALL rifles of ALL types. The AR-15 is just one included in that batch, so the actual number of people killed with an AR type rifle is an even lower number than what the FBI puts forth. It’s actually kind of silly for them to make such a big deal out of something that really doesn’t happen all that often.
And that is one of the reasons why we call BS whenever they say anything about so called gun violence, or that they’ll stop with the banning of AR-15 rifles.
It gets even sillier when you consider that the AR-15 is the most popular firearm in existence in the United States. If people were really using them for anything other than sporting uses, I think we’d know it by now.
Some housekeeping before we move on. I want to point out that most of us who are regular readers of this blog understand that the AR-15 can be chambered in any number of different calibers. This article does not point to any cartridge in particular.
Instead we run the gamut between 5.56/.223, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, .224 Valk, and 450 BM. Any of the mainline calibers apply in this article.
I’m not talking about calibers like .22 LR.
What do you use an AR-15 for?
The main purpose behind the AR-15 is as a defensive weapon that can be used in the home or in a vehicle to defend the owner from attack. It is also regularly used for hunting animals, and is an excellent tyranny repellent.
Home Defense AR-15
Most of the people who own an AR-15 do so for primarily for home defense. The AR-15 is an excellent weapon that allows for good-enough maneuverability and lethality.
The debate between the AR and the home defense shotgun or pistol goes around in circles. I personally use all three in my home defense strategy, depending on where I am and what I’m doing at the moment.
However, if I could only get to one gun during a home break-in, it would be my AR. The benefits far outweigh the negatives.
I’m more accurate with it under stress, it is better than my 9mm in terms of terminal ballistics, I’ve got 30 rounds at my disposal. Because bad guys tend to travel in packs I’ll make sure that I’m not outgunned in any way when I have my AR-15.
If I’ve got my Mossberg 500, I’ve only got a few shells before I need to reload.
Vehicle Defense AR-15
Most of my friends (as well as me) carry a pistol while in our cars for quick, reactionary defensive situations. That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about having a capable weapon in your car or truck just in case the S really Hits The Fan.
For me, whenever I’m driving more than a couple hours away I stick an AR-15 in my get home bag, that I can then use to do just that — get home.
Can you hunt with an AR-15?
I hear all the time that if you need an AR-15 to hunt then you must be a terrible shot. That’s not entirely true because there are times when the AR-15 and its standard capacity magazines are the most ideal tool for hunting.
Namely, when out hunting feral pigs. After the first shot is fired they tend to scatter in every direction. Feral pigs are such a problem that in Texas you don’t even need a license to hunt them anymore. They’re destructive and kill crops like they’re being paid to.
When you want to kill as many feral pigs as possible, you need the right tool for the job. That tool is usually an AR-15.
I have friends who go on hunts on farmland and their main goal is to kill as many hogs as they possibly can, before they run away.
Hunting deer with an AR-15
Yes hunters can and do use the AR-15 for hunting deer. It’s not as popular and it varies by state because some states don’t allow the use of hunting deer with the most popular caliber (5.56/.223).
And in my opinion, the .223 Remington is a little light for deer. It works, but is far from the best choice in my opinion.
There are also some states that may not allow you to hunt with an AR-15, regardless of its caliber, or any semi-auto rifle (like NJ if my memory serves me correctly).
That being said, in states where it is not regulated, or when a bigger caliber AR-15 can be used (like 350 Legend which was introduced for this reason) it works well. And, if you don’t have a ton of money to spend on a gun for home defense, a gun for hunting, etc., then the AR-15 is an affordable option that is multi-purpose.
Hunting varmints with an AR-15
Above I stated that the 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington, the most popular chambering for the AR-15 is actually a little light for deer.
That’s true.
Where it works well, however, is hunting varmints and small predators (like coyote) with the lighter weight bullets. For those people who say that it cannot be used for hunting need to understand that the light weight bullets are produced solely for hunting purposes, and the AR-15 is the primary gun that shoots them.
To say that you cannot hunt with one of these rifles is an outright lie.
Tyranny Defense AR-15
An armed people is a free people. They’ve been slowing chipping away our rights since the 1930s or so and we are here now, once again, dealing with more infringements on the horizon.
The AR-15 is the most accurate representation of what the People have that can keep tyranny at bay. Whether it is a foreign force or domestic, the people will rise up to protect our country. One of the tools we will use is the Armalite Rifle.
Is the AR-15 a weapon of war?
Technically speaking it is not because it is extremely outpaced by other weapons like the M4 and M16 series rifles. A weapon of war for modern times would be something that is capable of shooting fully automatic.
The AR-15 is only capable of semi-automatic fire, or one shot for each manipulation of the trigger. Can some of us pull the trigger really fast and accurately? I’d be lying if I said no. But it is nowhere near the speed of an automatic M16.
In all honesty, we should have access to weapons of war. That was one of the principles behind the founding fathers wording the 2A the way they did. They spoke about the militia being the people and that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed.
When they wrote that document, they had the same type of arms that their opponent had. They weren’t outgunned like the American people are today.
And that’s a shame.
Conclusion:
The AR-15 is the most popular firearm in the United States, and it is used for a lot of different things revolving around defense, hunting, and tyranny.
No matter what, those of us who own these guns will never give them up unless it’s from our cold, dead hands.
Next, check out article on the things you need to know about the AR-15.
