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"But the AR is not a hunting gun. It is a war weapon and a lot of people are buying them."

So were semiautomatic versions of M-14s, M-1s and Springfields. There were also the rifles of our former enemies. Every generation of enthusiasts has 'em. They just happen to hold a fascination for more city folks now.

Soldier's rifles are not the most practical self-defense weapons in most cases, but they might do well enough in some of the rare rural incidents. Shotguns would be better in most cases, IMO, with plenty of training and practice. All kinds of loads for those.

My first M-16 at Ft. Leonard Wood had an AR-15 part, IIRC (maybe a marking on the lower receiver?). And yeah, it was full auto. It fired more dependably than the second one that I was issued there (probably an M-16 with some newer guts). ...then an M-203 and others at home units afterward.

Fickle wounding machines, IMO. Raindrops beat 5.56 mm rounds like bald-headed stepchildren. But they're okay for keeping foreign enemies very busy up to 300 meters (for the few who could hit 300 very often). Whole lotta commies carrying their buddies going on. Those rounds don't like leaves much, either, or any heavy cover.

All of that complaining said, the M-16 is a great weapon, if you keep it real clean. Don't even get me started on the M-60 (carried one many miles one year while playing Army).

Maybe I should get a semiautomatic, "sporter" version of one of our enemies' weapons from the time that I was in the Guard (incl. end of Cold War). It would be a tinkering/ballistics challenge like...learning to play the fiddle poorly. Or maybe I could be a poser, grow some dreadlocks, put on some shades, and walk around naked with that commie weapon just for styles' sake. ;-) [Joke. I don't even do drugs. Hate 'em. They're for slaves. But silliness, yeah.]

Or on second thought, maybe when the civilian fake commando craze is over. They'll be pretty darned cheap then. Maybe even re-barreling them will be cheap, after so many fools have overheated the bores by firing as fast as goons through whole mags. Heh.

BTW, full auto rifles are hardly ever useful selected on full auto. Some rare instances at extremely close range in jungle or urban, maybe (but not peacetime urban). Firing full auto bursts with enough accuracy is somewhat like firing a shotgun but a little more time-consuming to get good at.

If government-employed people want to throw S at the F after being unable to deal with being laid off, I'll just watch from up here, in the peaceful middle of nowhere. Maybe they'll lose some weight and get real, that is, those very few who would even learn to make good use of cover.

Firearms are okay. I like to watch the Youtube monkeys burn those barrels up and argue over brand names. ;-) And yeah, I might even go out, from time to time, to ring a silhouette or three with firearms technology from around a 100 years ago. [It's really only the math and physical problems that I enjoy once in a great while. The actual range thing is too boring after having fired many 10s of thousands of rounds and done so many other things for so many hours on ranges.]

The economy will probably get much worse, but that won't bring violence to every home, in my opinion. It will mean that many more people will get very poor, and maybe more of 'em will get religion. Poverty eventually has a way of making people want to be good. See the Great Depression. Oh, yeah, there'll be more from the robbers losing their government incomes, pensions, or what have you. But they'll eventually start being good, too, one way or the other. ;-)

"My first M-16 at Ft. Leonard Wood..."

Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, One Three With Pride, Drill Sergeant!

Soldier's rifles are not the most practical self-defense weapons in most cases, but they might do well enough in some of the rare rural incidents.

Then why does the US military use M4's for close quarters combat?

Bought my first Colt Preban A2 in late 80’s, $440. We have several 556’s that never leave the vault. Bought a 6.8 Stag a few years back and the kids have killed a bunch of caribou and 3 bear with that gun. I got a AR-10 in 338 fed a year back and it has killed 3 moose, half dozen caribou and a couple bear; 210 Nosler Partitions. We luv hunting with AR’s with 4x32 & 3.5x35 Acog red dot/ghost rings off snowmachines & atvs; I’m a shooter, not an aimer. Two point slings are the ticket. I luv my Weatherbys for the long shots, but anything under 500 yards, you can’t beat an AR. Once you start hunting with them, no going back.