02-26-2018, 05:06 AM
I must agree that simply condemning semi-auto weapons is problematic. I own a Marlin 60, one of the all-time classics. It is a .22 with a tubular magazine, designed in 1960, semi-auto, and used by 2-3 generations now of plinkers, squirrel hunters, homeowners dispatching woodchucks, and the like. It would be last on most knowledgeable people's lists for a weapon with which to carry out an assault. Mis-use of the term semi-auto as though that is all you have to know merely highlights the problems that cause gun enthusiasts to dig in their heels.
At the same time I do feel that the popularity of AR 15 style weapons is disturbing. I don't see why people feel they need them. Most people who have truly used them such as soldiers in combat are glad to get away from them, knowing that by the time you get into a battle where the firepower and reloading speed make a difference, you aren't in Kansas anymore. I can't imagine a scenario where I would or could ever puree dozens of people and then do any of the other things that I value in life like fishing, Thanksgiving dinner, etc. Maybe in the hinterlands of Afghanistan where stoning people to death still happens the bar is set that low...
At the same time I do feel that the popularity of AR 15 style weapons is disturbing. I don't see why people feel they need them. Most people who have truly used them such as soldiers in combat are glad to get away from them, knowing that by the time you get into a battle where the firepower and reloading speed make a difference, you aren't in Kansas anymore. I can't imagine a scenario where I would or could ever puree dozens of people and then do any of the other things that I value in life like fishing, Thanksgiving dinner, etc. Maybe in the hinterlands of Afghanistan where stoning people to death still happens the bar is set that low...