Croak,

I don’t suppose that facts mean anything to you, eh?

On the off chance that you do pay attention to facts, here is a fact: virtually everyone can “instinctively” point a handgun or rifle with combat effectiveness at close distances of roughly 10 feet or so.

Before 1994, VERY few of us had AR’s. Mini-14’s were more popular and affordable, and milsurp M-1 carbines were widely available. Semi-auto AK’s were pretty unusual (SKS’s, OTOH, were dime a dozen). And because if you wanted an AR you were really dealing with either Colt or Armalite, they were also a lot more expensive (in real dollar terms).

So besides there not being very many AR’s out there in 1993, they tended to me more expensive than the comparables, and thus they weren’t the kind of thing crooks used.

But they looked scary to the hoplophobes, and Clinton need to shore up his support with his base, so thanks also in no small part to some RINO’s, we got the 1994 AWB.

Instantly, the value of “pre-ban” AR’s went into the stratosphere, and everyone was working on “workarounds” that would let you produce a “post-ban” AR that skirted the law. The demand was driven almost purely by Congress making them forbidden fruit, and so of course every gun guy wanted one.

Now fast forward to 2004. The AWB is sunsetting, and Bush ain’t going to continue it. The floodgates open, and suddenly there are AR’s from all over . . . and the price crashes, making it easier to acquire one.

But then we have Sandy Hook and Obama, and once again there was a land rush to buy as many AR’s as you could before they got banned again. By the time that petered out, the country was awash in AR’s . . . due primarily to a series of stupid moves by gun grabbers to ban something that wasn’t a problem in the first place. And, of course, with that many people having them, they discovered they were great for 3-gun, varmint hunting, etc. . . . as well as for self defense.

What will be poetical is if SCOTUS holds that because they are now so ubiquitous, AR’s are in “common use” and thus cannot be banned. That will be karmic.

Oh, I would also say if you want an “American” gun, consider the lever action pistol caliber. There are trade-offs with the AR, but it’s a bit more “traditional” of American gun.

Learn about “point shooting”. Make it a part of how you bring the weapon up to aim. And then, when the tunnel vision means you’re not really focused on the sights, your weapon will be where it needs to be. And it means you will likely find the sights more easily in that stressful situation. Point shooting is not something that replaces aimed fire, but it is a way to get the weapon to where you can most easily do aimed fire – or not.

Yeah, without any training, that’s mostly true. Which is why people should learn how to use their tools, because “instinctive aiming” ain’t a plan, it’s a hope.

correction for : “…or the treat is moving…”

should have been…

…or the threat is moving..