I'm not sure that i'm in the majority here, but I don't have thousands of rounds of .223 ammo stacked up. and i'm not an owner of an AR, but i have a couple 12 gauge shotguns, several rifles, and a pistol in a 40 s&w. I have enough ammo that it would take hundreds of people to enter my home before i would run out of ammo...i just don't get the whole fear of needing a semi auto AR in order to protect myself. I can reload quickly... have lots of guns, and I am a good shot.... can someone tell me why i need more? I have a freezer full of meat, which will last weeks without electricity if not opened regularly... why do people do this? why do people need to have thousands of ammo? are these people expecting to be part of a militia? or is it just for their families protection? if its the latter, i just don't get it...This is a real question. I will protect my family. I know that you all will too. I'm confused
If you're happy with the firearms and the ammo stock you have, excellent.
Is your issue with AR? If so, OK, you can do that. It's America. I'm leaving that one largely alone other than to state I personally have one because it's a nice, light, reliable, low-recoil, versatile centerfire carbine for which parts, mags, ammo, optics, etc, are readily available. I'm not really a rifle guy, but it's a fairly simple beast. I can do most work any work on it that I might I need to or want to. With mine, I plink.
I have no "fear of needing a semi auto AR" ... I just happen to own one and do enjoy shooting it. I could certainly use it as a defensive weapon if I chose to, but I don't see that arising.
As to "why do people need to have thousands of ammo?" -- some of us, I think, shoot more than you do.
Personally, I own guns in several calibers/gauges and most often shoot 22s, 9s and shotguns (.410 through 12 at recreational skeet and clays, plus upland bird hunting). On vacation a week ago, I probably went through 400 rounds of .22LR, 500 rounds of 9 and a flat (250 rounds) of 20 gauge (skeet and clays). And I was just farting around...not really working on anything, just having fun.
Others shoot matches (such as steel, bowling pins, IDPA, rimfire, etc) and they practice/train for them. Or they may like to take classes. A lot of the handgun ones that last even 2 days tell you to bring 400 rounds, minimum.
Re another "why," we've learned that if we hit stretch like this one or the 2012-13 scare and we're waiting to get ammo until the day we need it, we're pooched. And buying ammo when the prices are good is a hedge against, well, times like these.
Other than handling our firearms safely and responsibly, we need not all have the same shooting habits, preferences and volume. We need not be all alike.
There's also this reason re both the AR and the ammo: Because we want to and because we can.