Updating AR-15's Image

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is trying to rebuild the image of the AR-15 rifle and you can help. The NSSF has coined the term Modern Sporting Rifle to more accurately describe the AR-15 platform and is asking that shooters do the same. The NSSF asks you to be an informed gun owner and to use the following facts to correct misconceptions about these rifles.

If AR-15-style modern sporting rifles are banned, your favorite traditional-looking hunting or target shooting semi-automatic firearm could be banned, too.

´ AR-15-platform rifles are among the most popular firearms being sold. They are today's modern sporting rifle.

´ The AR in "AR-15" rifle stands for Armalite rifle, after the company that developed it in the 1950s. "AR" does NOT stand for "assault rifle" or "automatic rifle."

´ AR-15-style rifles are NOT "assault weapons" or "assault rifles." An assault rifle is fully automatic -- a machine gun. Automatic firearms have been severely restricted from civilian ownership since 1934.

´ AR-15-style rifles look like military rifles, such as the M-16, but function like other semi-automatic civilian sporting firearms, firing only one round with each pull of the trigger.

´ Versions of modern sporting rifles are legal to own in all 50 states, provided the purchaser passes the mandatory FBI background check required for all retail firearm purchasers.

´ Since the 19th century, civilian sporting rifles have evolved from their military predecessors. The modern sporting rifle simply follows that tradition.

´ AR-15-style rifles are no more powerful than other hunting rifles of the same caliber and in most cases are chambered in calibers less powerful than common big-game hunting cartridges like the 30-06 Springfield and .300 Win. Mag.

´ And, they are a lot of fun to shoot!

Good luck convincing people though. The whole AWB was mostly a ban against certain consmetic detail.

Liberals have no friggen idea how ARs work. And they don't care, because "they look scary"



There are so many AR15's out there, NO WAY can they ever be banned and confiscated. Most people, even here might have no idea just how many AR15s are sold daily. There is a boat load of ARs out there, there is simply no realistic way to ban them, ever.

AR15s are here to stay.

Oh sh!t, you mean it isn't an assault weapon, damn, now I will have to sell it.

I'll take that non-assualt weapon off your hands for $2.36 and some pocket lint.

I'll give you tree fiddy.

The are a lot of fun to shoot Enjoy the BRD

I thought the "AR" in AR-15 stood for Attitude Readjustment

Man, I'll go fie dollars. you other guys are cheap!

It'll never work....people look at guns and base their opinion on how it looks versus hearing what it actually is. Nevermind the fact that most rifles used for hunting fire cartridges that are far more powerful than just about any rifle that they deem an assault rifle. When I showed my wife a GSG-5, my birthday present this year, her first response was "it looks scary". I've come far with her but still have a long way to go.

I've have numerous family members ask if I still have a bunch of "machine guns", I don't have a tax stamp to my name. Some of these people have shot the same guns they are calling machine guns. When you tell them it isn't, their response is usually something along the lines of oh well it looks like one, same thing.

This post has been edited by Etho: November 18th 2009 2:07 PM

Thanks! I could use this on my work intranet message board. It's pretty annoying when people I work with mistakenly call them "assault rifles" and I have to explain to them that they are sporting rifles while assault rifles are full-auto and extremely restricted to civilian use and ownership. Some of the people who call them assault rifles are people who hunt AND own semi-auto rifles themselves. There are always going to be a few that sense cannot be talked to. You just can't tell 'em nuthin!

How bout we just take every psychologist and public relations spin doctor in the country and shoot every fifth one, Roman Decimation Style, in front of every college kid with a major in either of those subjects.

Change what we call the rifle.....Jeeze.

Most states have Mag Cap limits on hunting rifles. Fix 5 round mags.
Most state the 5.56 (223 rem) is a squirrel round (small game) build in a legal caliber (mine 6.8).
The problem is simply image.
No one talks to the public about matches and accuracy. They just see what the spin doctors tell them.
What they see is the bad guys want them to commit crimes and kill Leo. I'm waiting for the backlash against the 5.7 over Fort Hood.
So changing the Image will be like climbing Mt Everest in your birthday suit. It can be done by someone but he's going to be badly injured doing it.

Homeland security rifle

Homeland security rifle

It stands for "AWESOME RIFLE".

I always correct people when I hear them say AR stands for assault rifle, or even when I tell them I have an AR-15 and they say "Oh one of them assault rifles?"

I tell them its not an assault rifle, but a sporting rifle. lol