Will banning the AR 15 rifle make us safer?
I had a discussion with a couple who believe AR 15 rifles should be banned.
I said, “It is a hunting rifle.”
Woman, “The gun shoots a burst when you pull the trigger.”
Husband, “No that is the AK 47.”
She self-corrected, “It shoots as fast as you can pull the trigger.”
I said, “It is a hunting rifle. A friend of mine said that he went deer hunting and everybody but him had an AR 15.”
The man replied, “For every hunter with one I bet there are ten that are looking to kill someone.”
Think it through.
AR stands for ArmaLite Rifle. It was named after the manufacturer that made it in the late 1950s. The company was acquired by Colt and the branding was maintained.
How many AR 15 style rifles have been sold in the US? According to the National Shooting Sports Federation, the number was 19.8 million as of 2020. During the Covid Pandemic, sales of all guns increased. The estimate is now 23 million.
The AK in AK 47 stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova, meaning automatic rifle by Kalashnikova. The rifle was designed in 1947 by Michael Kalashnikova, a Soviet weapons designer. It was designed with fully automatic capability. It will continue to shoot as long as the trigger is kept pulled.
How many people are killed by AR 15 rifles in US every year? FBI statistics give all rifles which would include AR 15. In 2019, 364 people were killed by rifles, 397 were killed with blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.), personal weapons (hands, feet, fists, etc.) accounted for 600. Interesting that knives or cutting instruments accounted for 1476 deaths. The most frequent firearms used were handguns at 6368 deaths.
Why are guns so popular? One reason is personal defense. Hunting is another reason. In addition, many sports involve guns.
A gun store opened in Bellingham in 2009. I talked with the owner. He said, “I can’t keep any handguns in stock. Mostly women buying them for personal protection. They want something to fit in their purses.”
If we believe that outlawing weapons is the way to save lives, shouldn’t we outlaw the weapons that kill the most people? That would be handguns not AR 15s. Should we be disarming women? I do not think so. Of course, there are still knives, hands and feet.
The key to being safer is to change people not weapons. People kill people.