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

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.