“...The huge advantages of a modern semi-auto far outweigh the very small probability that they will fail more than anything else.”
An incomplete view of the situation. Also neglects the key element of mission orientation. Like any other tool, a firearm is designed to perform a specific function. Try to make perform other functions, and it will not be so successful. Tradeoffs are inescapable; we live in a suboptimal world.
Small arms like the AR-15 family of rifles were designed to lay down large volumes of fire without interruption, and to be controlled in full-auto fire. Individually aimed shots are not even part of the Army Dept’s definition of “firepower” (which is shots per minute). Optimization for the volume-fire mission renders them less useful for the private-party owner, who would typically operate alone and will not have the money nor the field transport to support the lavish logistics needed to accomplish volume fire.
Autoloading guns have no “huge advantage” that renders them superior for every task in every circumstance.
>>Small arms like the AR-15 family of rifles were designed to lay down large volumes of fire without interruption, and to be controlled in full-auto fire. Individually aimed shots are not even part of the Army Dept’s definition of “firepower” (which is shots per minute). Optimization for the volume-fire mission renders them less useful for the private-party owner, who would typically operate alone and will not have the money nor the field transport to support the lavish logistics needed to accomplish volume fire.
What are you even talking about? This was a discussion of semi-auto vs non semi-auto (revolvers and bolt actions and such). I’m not in the Army so their definitions are irrelevant. If the AR15 is too slow to be considered “firepower”, then the bolt action rifle is definitely not “firepower”.
I don’t think i said that the AR15 is “superior for every task” either. It is a good one-gun solution for just about anything that a private citizen will encounter. Obviously if you are in bear country, you take a bear gun. If you are taking sniper shots from a bell tower, you take a sniper rifle (but shots from a hotel seem to be pretty effective with a semi-auto, as are shots into a crowd, or even single shots at a distance).
You can carry a golf bag full of weapons for each and every situation if you want to. I’ll carry a Glock 17 and an AR-15.