AR-15 sales and 'rights' controversy [View all]
The AR-15 platform is available today to shooters and collectors in a variety of calibers (the diameter in inches of the projectile) with many accessories (straps, scopes...). It enjoys a niche in the gun market somewhat analogous to the niche which the iPod has in the personal music player market.
Just as iPods have numerous types of accessories designed specifically for them, AR-15s can be fitted with stocks (the end which is held against your shoulder) of various lengths and both folding and telescoping stocks. In short, it's popular, in part because the variety of available accessories makes it adaptable to wide range of uses and comfortable for various statures of shooters.
It's estimated that about 4 million AR-15s are privately owned in the US today.
Some folks believe that the Second Amendment protects the right of the people to have the military and law enforcement armed. That's not the whole story. Some other folks believe that the Second Amendment assures that individual citizens can buy AR-15s so they can fight off our federal government if need be. That's also not the whole story.
This controversy is about rights. There are basic rights like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that are expressed in the Declaration of Independence and universally understood. If you believe in the right to life, the right of self-defense is a natural consequence of that. The rights protected in the Bill of Rights are really attributes of humanity. When others don't respect your rights, you're more of a slave than you are free person.
Great thinkers and philosophers back to Plato and maybe before have devised ideas on government. Our founding documents make it clear that a prime responsibility of government is to protect the rights of individuals. One of the more important aspects of the Second Amendment and any of the individual rights covered in the Bill of Rights is their use as a barometer of how well our government is doing at that prime responsibility.
Trust me; it's more important to know that your government is doing its job protecting everyone's individual rights than it is to make sure you get an AR now before the ban, so yours will be grandfathered in. If you have the money to buy an AR, spend some on your phone bill and call your representatives. Spend on some postage and write a letter. If you can take some time off work, visit your representatives. Protect everyone's rights.
As Basil Plumley said when Hal Moore asked him about finally getting an M-16, "Sir, if the time comes I need one, there'll be plenty lying on the ground." That day will never come for this country if we keep in mind the importance of our basic rights.
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