Maybe we can't see the forest for the trees.
Maybe one of the unfortunate reasons "assault style weapons" are used in many gun violence circumstances is the style. If video games and movies can be blamed for gun violence, why not the 'style' of weaponry? Are violent criminals drawn to the menacing look of these weapons more than the technical aspects of firing systems and round speed and lethality of sporting style weapons? Could similar cultural aspects attract those who watch violent movies and play violent video games to violent looking weapons?
Is it just cooler to carry a gun with a long magazine projecting from it? A gun that's all black and blinded up with military styling?
Gun lovers would agree that other sporting style weapons are just as, or more, deadly? Yet we don't see that many mass shootings committed with those sporting style weapons. If they are just as effective for self defense and a military style weapon, why have the military style weapon around?
As gun violence increased, could a corollary be seen in the increase of popularity of military style weapons, the "scary looking" guns?
I may be wrong, but I never heard this point of view proffered.
Maybe one of the unfortunate reasons "assault style weapons" are used in many gun violence circumstances is the style.
nope it is because it has been highly over rated by anti gun nutz
the ar is really nothing more then a sooped up 22
sure it can pump out the rounds but then again any semi auto can
most of my rifles are far more deadly then the ar
You're missing the point. If non military style guns are just as, if not more effective, why are the ARs so prevalent?
Are you familiar with modifying cars? When I was a teenager the most popular car to modify was the Volkswagen Beetle. There was a catalog of parts and accessories that was enormous. About the only thing thicker was the Sears catalogue.
Today, some cars and motorcycles are more popular for the same reason the Volkswagen was back in the day. The availability of upgrades and parts to make it better, or more individually distinct. The Ford F-150 or Toyota Tacoma are good examples. Dozens of different brush guards and probably hundreds of different rim and tire combinations make modifications easy, if somewhat expensive.
The number of options for the AR platform mean that personalization of the rifle is easy. Various optics, scopes, or holographic sights mean you can literally choose from hundreds of options just in how you aim the weapon. Lights, lasers, grips, bipod, and stocks are all available in many different styles with advantages to each.
It is not an exaggeration to say that there are a million ways to set up one of those rifles. Magazines and ammunition are both plentiful and easily accessible. Barrels that are chrome lined with bonded bolt carriers to increase accuracy. Longer barrels for long range accuracy or shorter barrels for faster target acquisition. The choices are nearly limitless, and this is the thing. You can have half a dozen models, each set up different than the others, and good at the task you want it to do. Or you could customize it to make it pretty, or pink, or bright purple.
All the silly crap the Steampunk fools play with exists in reality. The high mechanical engineering exists in firearms. Gas operated, blowback, recoil, or manual. Gears manufactured to Swiss watch tolerances operating at incredible speed.
I mentioned the F-150 above. You can get a base model, or you can spend pretty much what you want, and get a far more expensive truck. You can get the Velociraptor if you desire. Ford sells a F-150 every thirty seconds. Now imagine if anyone could build the truck because the patent had run out. We don’t have to imagine it, we know what happened. PC computers we built by a dozen companies almost immediately. The parts were available and so was the software. In most cases, everything was interchangeable.
That is the world of the AR. You can have a water cooled gaming system, or you can have a basic system for word processing. You can have the ultimate media experience with high resolution cards and monitors that bring the porn into unbelievable clarity. Just kidding. Lighten up.
The AR is the gun version of the PC. You can get a bargain basement system from an unpronounceable company, or a top of the line gaming system from Aliens. If you got the bucks, you have the options.
As for me, I prefer the Mini-14. Then again, I typed this response on an iPad.