By Will
All American gun owners have, at some point, heard the refrain, “You don’t need an AR-15″ from Fudds and leftists who can’t comprehend why anyone might need a firearm that can fire more than a few rounds. “Just buy a bolt-action hunting rifle,” they say. Or, perhaps their line of reasoning is more like, “You’re a monster for owning that scary black weapon of war. How do you dare to own a gun that’s responsible for the deaths of so many children?”
Of course, we who understand the “shall not be infringed” part of the Second Amendment know that those “arguments” are ridiculous. There is no reason you need to prove that you “need” any particular firearm. The Second Amendment is there to preserve our God-given right to own whatever we please (with a few unreasonable legislated exceptions).
And, of course, guns don’t commit violent crimes or mass shootings. Violent, lawless criminals do. While I agree with both of those lines of reasoning, I think that the scenes from places like Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland have given us AR-15 owners one more way by which to defend our right to keep and bear those “scary black rifles.” The AR-15 is precisely what many of us need to defend ourselves from violent mobs and rioters.
Who hasn’t seen the videos of anarchy, intimidation, and violence from cities around the nation as of late? Violent criminals smash shop windows, loot and burn stores, march around in all-black uniforms to intimidate law-abiding citizens, and, worst of all, violently attack and, in some cases, try to kill innocent bystanders and shop owners.
Citizens have been dragged from their cars and assaulted, shop owners have been intimidated, beaten, and killed, and bystanders and journalists have been attacked by vicious mobs. While all of that has happened in riots before, these recent riots are the worst in recent memory and are far more widespread than any others.
What have they shown law-abiding Americans, beside the fact that many of their fellow citizens are willing to act like violent thugs when given the ability to do so? That one of the reasons you need a firearm like an AR-15 is to defend yourself from a violent mob when the police can’t or won’t do anything to help.
If you were a shop owner under attack by dozens of looters, what would you want to defend yourself? A Remington 700, the epitome of the “hunting rifle” that Fudds and gun-grabbers have temporarily deemed “acceptable” for Americans to own? No, of course not. You’d want an AR-15 with as large of a magazine as possible.
If you were an innocent motorist surrounded by a vicious mob banging on and rocking your car, a situation many Americans have found themselves in recently, what would you want to have to defend yourself with? A Colt SAA revolver? No, you’d want something with a bit more firepower and capacity. The Peacemaker is great and a beautiful firearm, but to fight off a crowd that large you’d want more than a six-shooter.
The lesson of all this is that the police will not defend you if the mob attacks. When it really counts, you will probably be outnumbered and the police will be preoccupied, if they haven’t already been withdrawn or defunded. That’s why you need an AR-15. It may be the ideal weapon to even the odds against a vicious, violent mob.
Americans are starting to recognize that. It’s why they’re are buying more guns than ever right now, most of which are semi-automatic handguns or, yes, those “scary black rifles” that the gun control industry and Fudds love to hate.
Furthermore, the current national unrest has shown the true purpose of the Second Amendment; it wasn’t included in the Bill of Rights to make sure you can hunt. It was meant to protect your right to own the weapons with which you can effectively defend yourself and your family from a violent criminal, an unchecked mob or a tyrannical government.
The push for more gun control had been gaining steam in many states before the COVID national emergency and riots. Politicians on both the right and left were attacking our right to own AR-15s because they said that those firearms had been used in mass shootings and were, therefore, unacceptable.
That line of reasoning is patently ridiculous. It always has been because it places the blame for those crimes on the guns rather than the violent criminals who committed hem. Those justifications now look even more out of touch because increased gun control would mean that Americans couldn’t defend themselves from the violent mobs and the criminals that are now freely roaming and terrorizing many of our cities.
Law-abiding citizens are under siege. Now, hopefully, a broader swath of Americans are seeing why they should own an AR-15 and why their fellow citizens should be able to, also.
I’ve never been one to think that you should have to prove your need to own anything. I certainly don’t think you should have to show you have a need for a specific type of firearm. The Second Amendment protects our right to do so — it’s our certificate of need.
But, if there were ever a time when that need was obvious, it’s right now.
The McCloskeys are proof of that. Without their AR-15, they might well have been injured or killed or had their home looted and burned by the mob. Be like them (with better, safer gun handling skills). Buy an AR-15 and be ready to defend yourself…assuming you live in a state that gives you that option. And if you don’t, contact your legislators.
Will is the author of the blog, www.genzconservative.com.