Thoughts on "Assault Weapons"

TL;DR: I don't think AR/AK pattern rifles and similar should have any restrictions put on them. Someone within the gun community needs to step up and hold forth an excellent moral and ethical argument to challenge the narrative of the anti-gun crowd, whom I'm starting to suspect are being quietly funded by anti-gun corporations/grassroots..<br><br><br>Hey guys, I haven't been to a gun store since November. All the guns that I wanted were really overpriced and the selection was usually emaciated. In addition to that, I've been really busy and haven't had a chance to really get out and enjoy the ones that I already have. But today, I finally felt like I had some free time, so I decided to go into some stores, exchange pleasantries with the guys at the counter, and see what was out. Well, lo and behold, the shelves were stocked, the prices were pretty decent, and I saw all kinds of AR's in all kinds of colors. Now, for most people, this wouldn't be notable. For me, it was very interesting, especially in the light of the Orlando shooting. Highly visible gun personalities like Ingraham and Limbaugh have chimed in with a desire to revisit the old ban, sans sunset. The narrative being pushed is that these rifles are somehow a threat to our collective peace and safety. But are they really? I don't think they are. I have several friends who own them, and they're fine. Heck, I owned one, until it was stolen. They're really a comfortable firearm, and because of their modularity, you can customize them for your specific needs. I'm of the opinion that the popularity of the AR, Glock, etc has insulated the platform from the political whims that gave us Magazine restrictions, etc. However, the anti-gun crowd has found a narrative it can run with. I don't think we, as the gun community, should meet this challenge by trying to defend our "right" to them. I believe that we should go out and dismantle the moral and philosophical underpinnings of the anti-gun crusade. I don't think most people are actually anti-gun. I think most people want to feel safe, and they've been convinced that these sorts of firearms, though perfectly fine for sport, hunting, etc, are not for defense against man. I think if we can establish a good counter-narrative, we can discredit the anti-gun movement to such an extent that they'll actually lose ground, and we'll be able to start carrying everywhere.