Cost - hey, even criminals have budgets, they steal hard for the money. A mid-level AR costs about twice as much as a Glock.
Ammo - cost again, ammo cost is about 2x per round for 5.56mm compared to 9x19...
Ease of operation. Slap a mag in the Glock, rack the action, pull the trigger. AR, mag in, press bolt release (or pull charging handle), press bolt advance to make sure it is seated, safety off, then get around to pulling the trigger...
Maintenance. An AR needs some lube every few hundred rounds and needs a thorough cleaning every thousand or so. Glocks et. al. basically just work. Yes you should clean them, but they'll put up with more abuse. Oh, and when you do clean an AR, you'll wonder if they missed any opportunity to create nooks and crannies to capture carbon. I don't think they did. A Glock you can clean with your eyes closed.
Concealment. The AR has sights, pistol grips, magazines etc. sticking out all over the place getting caught on stuff. Oh, and it's a couple of feet long - hard to conceal. The Glock can disappear easily underneath an oversized sports jersey.
Magazine capacity. About even here. You can get ridiculous, mis-feed-waiting-to-happen capacity mags for both.
So you might wonder why the AR style rifles are one of (the?) most popular styles? For a firearms enthusiast they are just plain fun to shoot. They have all these cool places to hang "furniture" on and customize it. (or not, making a minimalist statement) They shoot relatively flat. As costly as the ammo is, it is cheaper than bigger-bore rounds. You can snap off a dozen or so rounds more accurately than from your Glock. For the gangsta mission though - not such a good fit.
That is why an "assault weapon" ban isn't really aimed at reducing criminal activity - and doesn't in places that have or have had it - it is aimed at firearms enthusiasts. It is intended to set a precedent for future, more draconian, more un-Constitutional firearms restrictions. (that is serious, even if my earlier comparisons were a bit tongue in cheek)
“You can get ridiculous,mis-feed-waiting-to-happen capacity mags for both.”
Not limited to the ar15 or glock.....
the m1a1 would do the same thing.... on a cheapie 30-round mag that little lift inside would stick partway up :(
I’ve owned an AR-15 for more than 20 years. I wouldn’t say a shoot it a lot but I have it out and fire it at least 5 times a year. I can honestly say that I have only had to use the bolt forward assist once in all the years I have owned the rifle.
As for cleaning the rifle I don’t find it that much of a chore, and using good quality ammo; I don’t find that I need to clean it all that often.
Magazine capacity. About even here. You can get ridiculous, mis-feed-waiting-to-happen capacity mags for both.
I’ve heard about them but never experienced one. I use 20 and 30 round magazines and have never had a magazine jam.
I am just a hobbyist and don’t have the rifle out in the dirt and mud but I just have never had a single issue with the weapon that caused me to curse the rifle.