Should I buy an AR or not?

[DerbyDale]

I'm considering buying my first AR-15, but am confused if it will just be a waist of money...

IF I buy an AR-15 and another gun ban goes into effect, wont I get into deep doo-doo if I try to shoot it at the range? What would happen if someone uses a “banned” gun in a home defense situation? Wont that bring down a bunch more trouble than its worth?
I want to buy another gun, and would love to get my first AR; but if it can only sit in the safe, then what’s the point? I wonder if I would be better of buying a new shotgun...

 

[JImbothefiveth]

What the last ban did was outlaw the manufacture of new guns with certain features. You could still keep any guns you had before the ban, and you could still even get new AR-15s, but not with pistol grips or magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds.

However, the last attempt to bring it back mentioned the AR-15 by name, IIRC.

 

[COMPNOR]

Stop "Crying Wolf...the sky is falling...

We know NOTHING, NOTHING about what a new ban(if there is one) will entail.

If you want one, and have the cash buy one. But stop worrying

 

[hags]

If you're a gun enthuist then I think you should go out and get a new AR.
If you decide you don't like it then you can always sell it. With todays AR market you might not even lose any money.

 

[cbrgator]

Get one.

 

[ArmedBear]

IMO any new ban will either:

A. Be a sweeping Australia-style ban, and ban everything they can think of, including the Mini-14, Remington 74x/750 series, Marlin 60, Ruger 10/22, etc. This will energize ordinarily politically inert target shooters, and will end up in court. If they ban Marlin 60s and Ruger 10/22s, it will wake up millions of people who now pay no attention. This is the sort of thing Diane Feinstein would do, and John Kerry would do, but they live in bubbles. More clever politicians would be afraid to do this -- though it's hard to say what Obama, Biden, Pelosi and Reid would try. Apart from Obama, they're not constrained by sanity.

B. Try to slip the ban past opposition by being selective, and ban guns that won't piss too many people off.

Every day, the AR becomes a more commonplace gun for people to own. At some point, banning the AR by name will be as politically feasible as banning a lever action -- IF the banners are trying to slip past political opposition. They might ban "features" like flash hiders, but banning the whole AR platform without major political backlash is becoming more unlikely every day.

The AK would be a much easier target for a ban, since, unlike AR's, they're generally made of imported parts, they're not being sold by major US manufacturers, they're not used for serious target shooting or most competitons, and they're associated in the popular imagination with drug cartels and middle eastern guerillas.

But all of that is a complete guess.

I'd say, buy the AR if you want it.

 

[Phydeaux642]

Buy one if you want one, but please don't buy one out of panic and add to the feeding frenzy.

 

[JWarren]

Should I buy an AR?

The answer is always "Yes." Even when it is "No."


-- John

 

[jrou111]

I agree with Jwarren on this one. Even if you can only afford a lower, buy it!

The AR-15 is the modern day musket and everyone should have one.

 

[gripper]

or follow the lead of insurgent forces worldwide when THEY pick an idiot-proof,low maintenance piece that goes "bang!" whenever the trigger is pulled on a loaded chamber-a good AK build ;or(two or more!) SKS's;and LOTS of ammo(tink of it as a "rainy day" stash).
AR's are very user friendly,albeit maintenance/condition sensitive....AK's are crude,less ergonomic and ugly ( the way my favored breeds of dogs are);but they DO work.

 

[mljdeckard]

I just put together my lower the other day. It took me an hour, first time, DPMS lower, Stag internals. (I may modify extensively later.)

 

[piratelooking@40]

Why yes, yes you should. Because they're cool. Because you can, at least for the time being. And to say "Go kick rocks!" to the Brady mob.

 

[PILMAN]

If you can find a deal, jump on it, but I wouldn't pay inflated prices and would prefer the AK as they don't seem to have suffered as much as the AR's.