Is it bad that I want an Assault Rifle?

[richnota]

Grew up with firearms in the home. Dad had a folding stock paratrooper carbine from WW2. I thought it rocked.

I recently decided that I'd like to get myself .22lr chambered rifle like a Sig 522lr or Smith and Wesson MP15-22. I think it would be fun to target shoot rapid fire. Maybe even get a 50 round drum.

I'm not a disgruntled employee. I'm not losing touch with reality. Haven't heard any voices in my head and have not been visited by any deities recently. I have no desire to hurt animals or people (outside of video games).

Yet my family and friends think its "scary" that at 46 years I suddenly want an what is essentially a low power assault rifle (see below). I'm not asking their permission but I do respect their pov.

Except for my elderly dad and one friend, none of them have any experience with guns (both Dad and the experienced friend want to go to the range with me).

I wonder if I suddenly took up golf, would I get the same response? "Hey, I want to wear pink pants and cleated shoes and hit a little ball around a big lawn"---no problem.

Has anyone "taken up" a new hobby and met with a negative or bizarre response?

[jmattbassplaya]

Maybe you should get into airsoft.

[Stinsok]

No, it's not wrong.

[bassrique]

Assault rifles go full-auto. The political definition is nonsense.

What you want to do is normal for millions of Americans not yet -----fied.


EDIT: Let this be a "clip"less thread. Magazines, magazines, magazines instead please.

[spade2you]

You'll shoot your eye out.

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by Stinsok

No, it's not wrong.

+1 and it is your constitutional right to own one if you like.

I have a bunch of them.

[Tenma4]

More power to ya richnota!

What firearms I may or may not own is my business, and no one else's. I'm not going to do anything with them that anyone has to worry about unless they're threatening the life of my family, friends, or myself. Some folks have a problem with this. Fortunately for them, I'd protect them too. Regardless, I wish Big Brother would stop trying to take away the rights of decent folk.

If I want to shoot someone, it's going to be airsoft, and for fun. Props to jmattbassplaya for mentioning the sport.

[FrankenIbanez70]

I'm still a firm believer in the whole "Assault is an action not a type of weapon" thing, I like anything that goes bang. So, its not bad at all. Plus, Its not like you went out and loaded the trunk of your car with an AK and a few thousand rounds of ammo, is it?

[Fat.Mike]

Do it! Excercise your rights! I'd do it the other way though; get a 5.56 then a .22 conversion kit for $150. Those S&W's are great rifles and fairly affordable. No sense in owning something that will be useless when the reds invade or the dead walk!

[Tracebassplayer]

Originally Posted by FrankenIbanez70

Its not like you went out and loaded the trunk of your car with an AK and a few thousand rounds of ammo, is it?

I do that and head for a days shooting at the range.
But I use a Colt .223 sniper rifle.

[bobba66]

I enjoyed my 1903A1 Springfield more than my AR-15s or Kalashnikov variants. YMMV.

[Joe Gress]

Once you get one it kinda becomes an addiction. You want them all in all kinds of calibers, and it becomes GAS real quick.

[bassteban]

I just stumbled upon my late father-in-law's Colt 1911. Having small children, no good place to keep it & being not as well-versed in these things as I'd like, I let a friend hang onto it until I've made better arrangements. I will retrieve & shoot it one day. Guns are not- IMO- in & of themselves *good/bad/whatever*

[GregC]

Originally Posted by bassrique

What you want to do is normal for millions of Americans not yet -----fied.

Alrighty then, tough guy.

[colcifer]

Overkill? To near comic extents but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[bassrique]

Originally Posted by GregC

Alrighty then, tough guy.

The country has become (wait, I can use this one) whoosified in so many ways. The OPs associates calling rifle ownership "scary" is a manifestation of such. i have family that falls under the categorization. I love them dearly, but they are part of the whoosification movement.

[avvie]

Nothing wrong with it, depending on who you're planning to assault.




(Hello, NSA agent! How are you today?)

[Jay Ralston]

First off, I hate the term "assault rifle" This is a term given to almost any semi automatic weapon or automatic weapon by the media. All rifles do the same thing but simply have different caliber of bullets.

But for the sake of the argument, I own several firearms and love them but at the same time I do not do or condone illegal activity with them. I use them primarily for home defense, target practice and hunting.

About a year or so ago, a friend and I were out shooting our AR-15's. We were using only our flip up sites and were trying to hit a standard piece of notebook paper 300 yds. away. Out of the 5 shots I took, 4 out of 5 hit the paper and the fifth one with half paper and half backstop. My groupings from that distance sucked but I couldn't believe that I hit all five rounds on the paper. To me though, that was a nice challenge with my firearm. I love doing different things to test my accuracy and challenge me.

If you want a firearm, any type of firearm, don't feel ashamed of that. That is your Constitutional right as an American citizen! Maybe the current Govt. and media doesn't want you to own one but unless you are doing criminal activity or are planning on doing criminal activity with it, then you should not feel bad in the least bit about wanting any firearm whatsoever!

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

What's a whoosification?

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

You have the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Not just firearms, but any arms.