This is another gun thread for those hiding them. [View all]

[flamin lib]

Seems the AR-15 style rifles are the hottest selling duns currently on the market. That got me started wondering why. What is it about this gun:



that makes it so much more popular than this one:



which is, I am told, functionally the same and roughly half the cost. It even has high capacity magazines and “tactical” accessories available.

I have come to the conclusion that it is a matter of attitude; what happens inside the head of one who holds it. I base this conclusion on a number of anecdotes and personal experience.

Goldie Taylor, USMC ret and former congress person said on MSNBC, that she had a gun because she was a single mother living in a bad neighborhood and that just having a gun made a difference in her attitude. It gave her a sense of control and power even though she knew that at 5’4” and 100 lbs. she was far more likely to be hurt with it. She then said that she was turning the semi auto pistol in to the police.

My brother owns property way out in the country. He had just come in from hunting when he found a man inside the fence of his property supposedly looking for a lost dog. In recounting the story he told me he said things to that man which, in any circumstances, would be threats of lethal intent. “Yeah, when ya’ have a .270 with a round in the chamber ya’ get real brave.”

These two anecdotes are about “non military” type weaponry. Could it be that military look-a-like guns trigger the same machismo? If this ad is any indication:



the gun manufacturers think so.

For me, this gives some credence to the “gun = manhood” meme.

The image of machismo pushed by the gun manufacturers has a purpose. The AR type guns can be “customized” with any number of extra cost accessories, the least of which is the 30 round magazine.



In fact, the gun can be outfitted to the point that its original design features of light weight, simplicity and maneuverability are completely eliminated. Almost all ARs get “personalized” to some extent and some to the point that they are almost unusable making them a real profit center. One proud owner showed off his pride and joy to me and it was so “outfitted” that I couldn’t comfortably reach the forward pistol grip and actually touching the fore grip with pistol grip folded was impossible. It would seem that size does matter.

So, it occurs to me that the difference in the two guns isn’t functional but emotional. The black militaristic style of the gun touches some deeper need than sport or self defense. It really is an example of the “man card”.