The NRA is utterly shameless (Recent tweet).

[spin]

3. Only 4.5 million of the 80 million firearm owners are members of the NRA. ...

That's probably because if you become an NRA member you get endless solicitations for donations.

I feel the AR-15 is very popular because it's very easy to modify and accessorize. It's also a very light rifle and the recoil is insignificant which makes it a pleasure to shoot.

Despite what you read from the main stream media, AR style rifles are used by hunters and competitive target shooters. Most states limit the capacity of the magazine you can use while hunting game such as deer to five rounds.

I personally do not feel that an AR-15 is a good choice for self defense in a urban area but may fit the bill for a more rural area.

The reason that this weapon is possibly the best selling rifle in the U.S. today is the last Assault Weapons Ban. Prior to the ban few shooters that I knew had any interest in owning a "plastic rifle" as they were considered to be unreliable and inaccurate. Since the AWB only banned certain cosmetic features, the basic semi-auto platform was always readily available. The ban caused interest and sales of these firearms to increase and an aftermarket sprung up to accessorize this weapon. It became possible to customize your AR-15 without the need of a gunsmith. That's one of the main reasons these weapons are very popular.

The current push for a new AWB has caused many gun owners to decide to purchase one now before they are impossible to obtain. Realistically the AWB has little chance of passing but the unintended consequence is that millions of these weapons are now owned by people who have little real use for them.

I own a number of firearms but none are assault style rifles or semi-automatic handguns with a magazine capacity of over ten rounds. Such weapons do not fit my shooting hobby needs or would serve for my self defense at this time.

Gun owners simply do not accept responsibility for the actions of criminals and people with severe mental problems. Perhaps this is sad and misguided but it is just reality. Most do support efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and those with serious mental issues.

I feel we can make far more headway on reducing gun violence in our nation if we simply stop believing that the solution is to ban certain firearms

Perhaps we should ban the use of the word "ban."

Still I might be wrong and the new AWB will become law. Time will tell.