NBC On Black Rifles
Here’s a YouTube of it:
Not a bad piece, but naturally I’ve got a couple of nits to pick with it.
The piece alludes to an uptick in sales after the 2004 ban lapsed and pulls in Stag arms to back that up. I’m sure Stag Arms has seen an uptick in sales, but that’s not because of the 1994 AWB lapsing, it’s because S&W has contracted with them to supply their M&P15’s.
In fact, I’d wager that across the board sales of AR-15’s were far higher during the ban than at any other period of time. I didn’t know dick about guns when I bought mine durin the ban, I just bought it out of fear that I might not have that chance later in life.
Items I bought (guns and magazines) covered by the AWB while it was in effect: 22
After: 5
Food for thought.
I’m still amazed that the whole “pistol grips enable one to fire from the hip” meme gets trotted out there. It takes all of 5 seconds to show that this is bull. You can’t comfortably hold a rifle by its pistol grip at your hip. It just doesn’t feel right. There’s lot of upshots to them, but that just isn’t one.
One final nit: There’s no discussion of the AR’s status over time. It was adopted by the military in 1963, and I’m pretty darned sure it hit the civlian market in semi-automatic form in the early 60’s. To be sure it was out there before 1968. Before ‘68 you could mail order any gun that wasn’t fully automatic right to your door. Unfortunately I cant cite the actual advertisements, but you’ll just have to trust me that I’ve seen them. I remember a 50-60’s style drawing with a kid no more than 14 in it in an ad toting the rifle as a neat tool for fun shooting.
So… for years you could mail order it right to your door, and then for decades you could buy them in any configuration at the local gun store, and then you could by them sans bayonet lug and flash hider from 1994-2004. Why the emphasis on the post 2004 status of the gun?
I guess that’s too complex of an issue to cover in a little news sound bite, and I understand that, but it still bugs me.