Assault rifle owners, what makes you feel like you need to own one?

Used it for groundhogs,woodchuck, etc. sometimes for coyotes. Target shooting in some local buy in shoots.

I don't own guns as I don't live in the USA, but I like guns and I would probably own several types if I lived in the US... I doubt the people who buy an AR-15 or similar weapon is because of any "practical reason". It's like asking "why some people drive a sports car when having an average, cheaper car would take them from A to B just the same?" Because they want to own such thing, because it's "cool", it "feels awesome" etc. Not for any practical reasons, although people may try to justify themselves with something vaguely "practical" and "rational"...

So really, this is about comparing and contrasting the merits of a semi-automatic rifle vs. A semi-automatic pistol for home defense.

Let's level set...the AR-15 is not an assault rifle. It is a semi-automatic rifle. It functions like any other semi-automatic firearm.

All semi-autos have 3 common denominators. (1) A magazine, usually detachable, but some are fixed. (2) one trigger pull fires one bullet. (3) part of the energy from a fired round is used to expel the spent cartridge, so that the next round can be loaded. That's it. Semi-auto pistols function exactly the same way as semi-auto rifles, including the AR-15.

Let's do some comparisons.

To determine which firearm type is superior for home defense requires some analysis. But there is a personal preference factor. Some would rather have a pistol or shotgun.
The rifle is superior in my opinion. Here's why:

Is it better to be more accurate or less accurate? More accurate, obviously. It is much easier to be more accurate with a shoulder fired firearm than a hand held firearm. A rifle is superior to a pistol.

Is it better to have more rounds and not need them? Or to run out of bullets and find yourself up shut creek? Clearly, more rounds are better. And if you fall into the trap of those who claim "if you need more than 10 rounds, you need to go to the range" mentality, then you haven't thought it through. Even trained professionals are less than 20% accurate in a fire fight. Add onto that, home invasions...the situation in which you are most likely to need a firearm for defense...usually involves multiple individuals, 2, 3 or more...suddenly 10 rounds looks pretty inadequate. Besides, if you don't need them, you won't use them. Rifles tend to have larger magazines, but not always. And swapping magazines is quick. A slight advantage in favor of the rifle.

Is it better if the bullet over penetrates walls or not? Of course you don't want the
bullet to over penetrate and hit something or someone unintendedly. Something gun controllists fail to acknowledge...the .223 caliber bullet which all AR-15s can fire, are designed to tumble and fragment when hitting a solid object at 2500 ft/sec or more. This round barely penetrates 3 layers of sheet rock and is less likely to go through the walls of your home than most of the common pistol rounds or a shotgun. Ballistically, it is among the safest rounds for home defense. Here, an AR-15 is clearly superior to the pistol.

Those are the pros in favor of the AR-15. The cons?

(1) ewww...it looks scary
(2) it fires millions of bullets every second
(3) it's a weapon of war designed to mow down thousands of nuns and orphans with a single trigger pool.

Catch my sarcasm there?

The problem isn't the gun.

Ar 15 isn't an assault rifle, it's semiautomatic like a pistol is. Civilians can't own assault rifles since 1989.

Easy for when the zombie apocalypse start.

Ar-15 type rifles make great hunting rifles depending on the preyand the caliber the gun is clambered in.

Aside from that...they are loads of fun at the range and competitions.

Aside from that...a pistol is sometimes a very poor choice for self defense or home defense due to the difficulty taking well aimed shots at range with a short barrel and pistol grip.

Aside from that...if things do for some reason go to the worst...god forbid...i know that my ak is formidable enough to do whatever is needed of it.

Assault is an action, rifle is a thing....what makes you think an AR15 is an assault rifle?
Best selling rifle in USA, they are fun to shoot, great sporting rifle.

All assault rifles are illegal
The AR-15 is not an assault rifle. You can target shoot and hunt with it.

Wow. Okay

1) An AR-15 stands for armalite - the company who designed it. It doesn’t mean assault rifle.

2) They aren’t automatic. They are semiautomatic- just like a pistol. It means one pull of the trigger means one round. Automatic ARs exist but they aren’t for civilian use. Some law enforcement has them - some states don’t even allow law Enforcement to have the automatic ones.

3) an ar15 - despite what you think - CAN be a hunting rifle.

4) why? Because I like shooting. That simple. Great for target shooting. And I put a lot of work into mine. It’s custom.

assault rifles are already illegal.they were outlawed in 1986.

In America, nobody should concern themselves with other people's wants. An AR15 is a want, not a need.

Nobody needs a car, but many want a car. Nobody needs a house, but many want a house. Nobody needs a gun, but many want one gun or another, and an AR is a nice family of guns to choose from.

Step one :
Find out the difference between an assault rifle and a semi-auto is .

step 2 :
get back to us and re-ask the question

well if you ever feel like shooting people then you couldn't do that without them