Why are assault weapons so popular?

christiefan915

christiefan915

Catalyst
Contributor
IMO the real reason is summed up in the last paragraph.

"The best-known assault weapons are the AR-15 rifle and its many spin-offs. While rates of gun ownership have fallen over the past four decades — about 50 percent of households owned a gun in the 1970s, compared with 31 percent in 2014 — sales of assault weapons soared after a federal ban expired in 2004. These rifles are now "the bread and butter" of the gun industry, says Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, which advocates gun control measures...

Rifles accounted for just 3 percent of gun homicides in 2014, and 27 percent of public mass shootings — single incidents in which four or more people are shot dead — from 1999 to 2013. But in recent years, there is growing evidence that the assault weapon has become the mass shooter's gun of choice...

Many gun owners see the firepower that assault weapons provide as a comforting form of insurance against government tyranny, crime, and terrorism. "This firearm gives average people the advantage they so desperately need and deserve to protect their life, liberty, and happiness," says gun-rights activist Dom Raso...

The 'Barack Boom'
Sales of assault weapons have grown by about 27 percent a year since 2007 — and much of that demand has been driven by the election and presidency of Barack Obama. The "Barack Boom" has given the gun industry a $9 billion boost, according to The Washington Post, thanks largely to the National Rifle Association's insistence that Obama is plotting to take away all guns.

http://theweek.com/articles/634386/why-are-assault-weapons-popular
 
christiefan915 said:
IMO the real reason is summed up in the last paragraph.

"The best-known assault weapons are the AR-15 rifle and its many spin-offs. While rates of gun ownership have fallen over the past four decades — about 50 percent of households owned a gun in the 1970s, compared with 31 percent in 2014 — sales of assault weapons soared after a federal ban expired in 2004. These rifles are now "the bread and butter" of the gun industry, says Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, which advocates gun control measures...

Rifles accounted for just 3 percent of gun homicides in 2014, and 27 percent of public mass shootings — single incidents in which four or more people are shot dead — from 1999 to 2013. But in recent years, there is growing evidence that the assault weapon has become the mass shooter's gun of choice...

Many gun owners see the firepower that assault weapons provide as a comforting form of insurance against government tyranny, crime, and terrorism. "This firearm gives average people the advantage they so desperately need and deserve to protect their life, liberty, and happiness," says gun-rights activist Dom Raso...

The 'Barack Boom'
Sales of assault weapons have grown by about 27 percent a year since 2007 — and much of that demand has been driven by the election and presidency of Barack Obama. The "Barack Boom" has given the gun industry a $9 billion boost, according to The Washington Post, thanks largely to the National Rifle Association's insistence that Obama is plotting to take away all guns.

http://theweek.com/articles/634386/why-are-assault-weapons-popular
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Duh, because when ISIS comes at them trying to saw off their head, they want the most dangerous weapon possible.

Again, duh..............
 
cawacko said:
Rappers were talking about assault rifles back in the '80's. That's well before Obama.
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It said they were banned for ten years. Did you note that sales boomed after Obama was elected? Yet nothing changed, you can still buy them.

And what a way to advertise...

"...the way these rifles are advertised may appeal to mass shooters' belief that they are at war with the world. Gun manufacturers have used images of martial men toting assault weapons, and provocative slogans like "Consider Your Man Card Reissued" and "Forces of Opposition Bow Down."
 
christiefan915 said:
It said they were banned for ten years. Did you note that sales boomed after Obama was elected? Yet nothing changed, you can still buy them.

And what a way to advertise...

"...the way these rifles are advertised may appeal to mass shooters' belief that they are at war with the world. Gun manufacturers have used images of martial men toting assault weapons, and provocative slogans like "Consider Your Man Card Reissued" and "Forces of Opposition Bow Down."
Click to expand...

Call it an unintended consequence but when people think something might be limited or banned they are more likely to rush out and buy one.
 
christiefan915 said:
It said they were banned for ten years. Did you note that sales boomed after Obama was elected? Yet nothing changed, you can still buy them.

And what a way to advertise...

"...the way these rifles are advertised may appeal to mass shooters' belief that they are at war with the world. Gun manufacturers have used images of martial men toting assault weapons, and provocative slogans like "Consider Your Man Card Reissued" and "Forces of Opposition Bow Down."
Click to expand...

You can only buy fake assault weapons, which means the semi auto version, one shot at a time. These are not assault weapons, they merely look like assault weapons.

Now you know.
 
cawacko said:
Call it an unintended consequence but when people think something might be limited or banned they are more likely to rush out and buy one.
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Q: Did Obama promise last year to ban all semi-automatic guns during his first year as president?

A: A widely circulated e-mail quoting Obama is baseless and almost certainly fabricated. He does support reinstatement of the expired "assault weapons ban" but isn’t calling for a wider ban on all semi-automatic weapons. He said repeatedly during the campaign, "I am not going to take your guns away."
 
christiefan915 said:
Q: Did Obama promise last year to ban all semi-automatic guns during his first year as president?
A: A widely circulated e-mail quoting Obama is baseless and almost certainly fabricated. He does support reinstatement of the expired "assault weapons ban" but isn’t calling for a wider ban on all semi-automatic weapons. He said repeatedly during the campaign, "I am not going to take your guns away."
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That's what he says. He also said you can keep your insurance. It's not even a partisan to thing to say people of all political stripes don't take Presidents at 100% of their word. Throw in that congressional democrats have tried to restrict gun rights and why you have is people loading up.
 
christiefan915 said:
Q: Did Obama promise last year to ban all semi-automatic guns during his first year as president?

A: A widely circulated e-mail quoting Obama is baseless and almost certainly fabricated. He does support reinstatement of the expired "assault weapons ban" but isn’t calling for a wider ban on all semi-automatic weapons. He said repeatedly during the campaign, "I am not going to take your guns away."
Click to expand...
I'm not a gun person so I'm probably missing something so help me out here.

He does support reinstatement of the expired "assault weapons ban"

So the question is why are assault rifles selling after Obama said he wants an assault rifle ban?
 
christiefan915 said:
It said they were banned for ten years. Did you note that sales boomed after Obama was elected? Yet nothing changed, you can still buy them.

And what a way to advertise...

"...the way these rifles are advertised may appeal to mass shooters' belief that they are at war with the world. Gun manufacturers have used images of martial men toting assault weapons, and provocative slogans like "Consider Your Man Card Reissued" and "Forces of Opposition Bow Down."
Click to expand...

In 1903 and 1905, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company introduced the first semi-automatic rimfire and centerfire rifles designed especially for the civilian market.

in 1906, Remington Arms introduced the "Remington Auto-loading Repeating Rifle." Remington advertised this rifle, renamed the "Model 8" in 1911, as a sporting rifle.

Winchester introduced a semi-automatic sporting rifle, the Model 1907 as an upgrade to the Model 1905, in calibers such as .351 Winchester.

Why do you people insist on harping about the AR-15 like it was some sort of the latest and greatest innovation to hit the civilian rifle market ?

The AR 15 is a semi auto rifle just like the rifles that have been in civilian hands since the early 1900,s......

I hunted with one back in the 1960's....they ain't nothing new in firepower. Is it the funny stock that frightens you...? Stocks don't fire bullets.
 
NOVA said:
In 1903 and 1905, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company introduced the first semi-automatic rimfire and centerfire rifles designed especially for the civilian market.

in 1906, Remington Arms introduced the "Remington Auto-loading Repeating Rifle." Remington advertised this rifle, renamed the "Model 8" in 1911, as a sporting rifle.

Winchester introduced a semi-automatic sporting rifle, the Model 1907 as an upgrade to the Model 1905, in calibers such as .351 Winchester.

Why do you people insist on harping about the AR-15 like it was some sort of the latest and greatest innovation to hit the civilian rifle market ?

The AR 15 is a semi auto rifle just like the rifles that have been in civilian hands since the early 1900,s......

I hunted with one back in the 1960's....they ain't nothing new in firepower. Is it the funny stock that frightens you...? Stocks don't fire bullets.
Click to expand...

But a semi auto weapon is NOT AN ASSAULT RIFLE. Assault rifles are full auto and were NOT INVENTED IN 1900.
 
cawacko said:
That's what he says. He also said you can keep your insurance. It's not even a partisan to thing to say people of all political stripes don't take Presidents at 100% of their word. Throw in that congressional democrats have tried to restrict gun rights and why you have is people loading up.
Click to expand...

He hasn't done it after 7-1/2 years. Time to do it is running short.
 
Ziggy said:
But a semi auto weapon is NOT AN ASSAULT RIFLE. Assault rifles are full auto and were NOT INVENTED IN 1900.
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I posted the author's definition. Personally I have no knowledge of this type of gun.

What is an assault weapon?

Though gun owners and gun control advocates have fierce debates over the definition, "assault weapon" is widely accepted to mean a rapid-firing semiautomatic firearm that accepts detachable large-capacity magazines, and comes equipped with other military-style features, such as a pistol grip and foldable stock. The term "semiautomatic" means the weapon fires one round with each pull of the trigger, instantly reloads, and can keep firing until the magazine is emptied. That's not the same as "automatic" assault rifles, or machine guns, which continue firing bullets as long as the trigger is pressed; civilian use of them has been strictly regulated since 1934. The best-known assault weapons are the AR-15 rifle and its many spin-offs.
 
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