A couple of days ago a Facebook friend shared a post by a man named Rob Duran. Mr. Duran began by saying he felt he had to "fix a few people on here because emotions are high and stupid shit is being supported." He wanted to "fix" folks confused about what is and what is not an assault rifle. As a guy who can't remember the last time I even held a gun, much less shot one, I am among those who need fixing.
Mr. Duran offers a brief history assault rifles, particularly AK-47s and M-16s, and writes that they have been banned for civilian use by several acts of Congress as far back as 1934. He then continues with information about the AR-15, stating that "it does the same thing as any other standard rifle." He claims that anyone who thinks the AR-15 is anything more than a standard rifle sporting some "aesthetic differences" is "pants-on-the-head-retarded." The AR-15 "isn't more dangerous that any other standard rifle," and the only reason it gets used so often in shootings is because it is "the most popular rifle in the country...the iPhone of rifles...affordable, accurate...(and) easy to personalize because everyone makes accessories for it."
Not wanting to be guilty of supporting stupid shit, I decided to do a little research via the Internet on Mr. Duran's views. If this is such a clear matter, why are so many otherwise well-informed people ignorant about it?
There's a lot out there about the issue, but perhaps the most interesting to me is the website maintained by Grabagun, a business that makes it as easy as possible to do just that in exchange for cash. I will simply quote from that website's introduction to its ads for "Complete AR and AK Rifles":
"To the average gun enthusiast, it is sometimes difficult to tell the differences among the various types of ARs and AKs. This issue is especially true when it comes to the AK-47 and the AR-15. It can be easy to get these confused, as many of the world’s strongest militaries are using one or the other, making it difficult to differentiate between the two.
"The AK-47 is the top-selling weapon on the globe. It is used by militaries and civilians the world over. The AR-15, however, is the top-selling rifle in the United States. It is a little longer and lighter than the AK, and fires more rounds per minute. The AK is a little less expensive, generally speaking, and is favored by European militaries more so than in the United States.
"Regardless of where your heart lies, the fact that a debate still rages on between these two shows the fierce loyalty they inspire. The same can be said for a great number of AR and AK rifles available to the public."
I conclude that since "the average gun enthusiast" is sometimes confused about the differences between "various types of ARs and AKs" (maybe because of the "accessories" easily available for the AR-15?), that I may be forgiven if I am "stupid" about the whole topic. Whatever, the people at Grabagun do not think the differences between the two are so great that they can't list both under one category. Maybe they need educating.
I am, in fact, willing to be educated by Mr. Duran himself if he'd like to try, although I don't respond well to teachers who consider me stupid, or an idiot, or (I can hardly type this a second time) "pants-on-head-retarded."
