(Update 6/28/2018: This project is currently on hold but feedback and help is always welcome.)
Alrighty folks here is my plan and intentions: I am writing a lengthy ever-evolving article that will be detailing the AR-15. How it functions, why its popular, and why a ban in the United States and Canada will do nothing. I am writing this with the intent of it being a one stop shop for all info regarding the rifle that will be available to anyone who is uninformed and a useful tool for gun owners to show people.
Because certain uninformed Canadian anti-gunners and politicians response to the shootings in the U.S.A. has been a cry for more gun regulations here. Which have sprung rumors of an AR-15 ban and more restrictions in Canada because of something that happened in another country I fully intend for this to be used by both Americans and Canadians alike. Basically if anti-gunners and politicians here want to use events in another country as the back-bone of proposed changes then I will use the fact that we have AR-15s, tavors, XCR-Ls etc... and yet have virtually no mass shootings to point out that the problem in the states ins't the rifle that was used but access, something that I think will help American's argue against bans over there. I don't know enough about America's gun laws to comment much further than that on that subject but I will say that I like some of their laws and I don't like some of their laws. Because so many of their laws are regulated by state it gets to be very convoluted.
In my opinion the licensing system here is good. Ie: Take a safety course, have a background check done, and get a license. I think this does a good job at keeping guns out of the hands of people that would otherwise be unsuitable to use firearms or that would try to use lawfully owned guns for illegal purposes. I wouldn't want to be driving if I knew that people could get a car without first taking a drivers course and obtaining a license right, nor do I won't any random person having access to guns. Of course after the licensing portion of our firearms system everything else is pretty sh*tty but I think at least that part is good. This article isn't really about the rest of our gun regulation and classification woes but it will include points of it since the article is for Canadians and Americans. In the best case scenario this will be a useful tool for many firearms owners in Canada and the United States. Yes I know this information is everywhere but I want to gather virtually all of it here and not water it down a single bit so everyone can understand it regardless of their knowledge on firearms and law, and I want to have it apply to recent efforts for bans in the States and Canada because that is relevant to the subject.
What I plan to include:
How the AR-15 functions
Some of Canada's laws vs the U.S.A
Legitimate uses for the AR-15 (because anti-gunners and even some firearms owners frequently cry out that their is no purpose for owning them)
Some examples of ineffective firearm law in Canada and the United States
Lots of pictures
I will be adding the "how it functions" and "how it comes apart" sections later when I can get my camera set up to take some pictures and videos of my rifles for visual aids. I will also be correcting the placement and arrangement of the article as I go along because it is fairly random at the moment.
I do not want to include politics in this article or as little as I can manage. Ie: No Liberals say this and Conservative gun owners say that.
The following is what I have so far and understand that this is an incredibly rough draft that I just jotted down essentially. What I'm looking for is help adding stuff to it that I might have missed and correcting any errors I may have made, any suggestions are welcome as this is an ever evolving piece. When I make updates I will update it here as well until we reach a 1.0 live version that I will then upload to my blog which I will be launching and will be sending it to various gun organizations to use if they want to. (Note: my blog will not be monetized)
Expect organizational and grammatical errors in this current rendition. The post will be updated regularly as I apply changes, check back often.
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A Guide to the AR-15 Rifle
An American and Canadian Favourite
For the curious, the uninformed, and the willfully ignorant
The AR-15 is one of the most popular rifles in the United States and among firearms enthusiasts in Canada. It has also been the subject of much attention from the media and anti-gun groups following several mass shootings in the United States. What has repeatedly happened and what I’ve repeatedly seen happen after these horrible events is that gun owners and the anti-gunners get going at each other's throats. And almost every single time I’ve seen people on both sides as well as the media calling for bans on the AR-15 and “military style” firearms. And each and every time they spew nonsense and false information about it.
The purpose of all of what follows is to educate and inform everyone on what exactly the AR15 is, how it generally operates, how banning it will do no good, and its legitimate purposes in the hands of civilians. I am Canadian and here in Canada we can own AR-15s.
A Multitude of Uses
One of the most common “arguments” that I commonly see from anti-gunners and even from some gun owners is that the rifle has no real world uses for civilians (despite the AR-15 being a civilian rifle). This is of course, simply flat out not true. Turns out people have been using semi-automatic firearms for hunting and competition shooting for years and in fact many non-AR-15 or “military style” hunting rifles are semi-automatic.
HUNTING
I see people commenting on social media that you don’t need “that many” shots to hunt or that people who need to shoot that many times shouldn’t be hunting. Of course both of these claims are completely ludicrous because they assume that people using semi-autos for hunting are spewing rounds at whatever game they are after. I’d like to gently remind people that semi-auto doesn't mean “shooting fast” it's just the type of action on these firearms that denotes how it operates. Many people enjoy using semi-autos for hunting because of the ease of use, which is especially prevalent in semi-auto shotguns used for waterfowl. And in certain situations the semi-automatic capabilities do come in handy, like for example while hunting feral hogs in the states. Most bolt-action hunting rifles have a magazine as well, for any potential follow up shots, semi-auto simply means that the person doesn’t need to operate the action to chamber another round themselves. Don’t get me wrong, if you are hunting and you need to pop-off multiple shots because you can’t aim well enough to take down an animal in one then I think you should be spending some more time at the range practicing before you head out into the bush.
The Competitive Shooting Sports
The AR-15 is also the most popular rifle for certain shooting competitions. Like 3-gun matches where competitors run through a course and use three different guns throughout each stage, a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle. Even here in Canada where you have to get permission from the RCMP to take the AR-15 to events, it still remains the most popular rifle at competitions because it offers much more customizability and is therefore a better option for most people over similar firearms. Make no mistake, the AR-15 is as popular as it is because of the ease of swapping out parts and the aftermarket support it has received resulting in hundreds of companies producing literally thousands of different parts for this gun. Keep in mind, these parts make the rifle no more deadly than any other semi-automatic firearm.
No, It’s Not Some Kind of “Super Gun”
Another thing that many people don’t seem to realise is that the AR-15 is not anymore powerful than any other semi-automatic or bolt-action any other rifle out there. A firearms’ power is not determined by its action or by its so called “militaristic” looks. It is determined by a number of other things, but can be broken down into two parts that work together: The caliber the gun is chambered for, and the length of the barrel. That’s basically it. Generally a good rule of thumb is that smaller bullets will be going faster than larger ones and longer barrels means more velocity and accuracy. Here is a quick breakdown:
Smaller Bullets:
Smaller bullets can be driven faster and are able to reach out to farther distances while retaining more velocity.
However smaller bullets have less mass and therefore less stopping power.
Smaller bullets also generally are used in smaller cartridges which means that more ammo can be carried in a single magazine.
Larger Bullets:
Larger bullets can’t be driven as fast and so sacrifice velocity and the largest ones will be sacrificing a lot of range.
Larger bullets have more mass which results in more stopping power.
Larger bullets are generally used in larger cartridges that take up more space so there is a potential to lose capacity in magazines.
The AR-15s Standard Caliber: 5.56x45
Now let's look at the standard AR-15 caliber. This (have picture) is what most AR-15s are chambered in, the 5.56x45 NATO. This cartridge pushes a 55 grain bullet at over 2800 feet per second. This caliber would be great for hunting varmints with but not for large game. Enter the reason the AR-15 is so popular, not because its inherently more powerful than another rifle but because it is so customizable. The standard 5.56x45 caliber can be swapped out for a number of other cartridges. The diameter of each calibers bullet and its approximate weight range will be included to provide you with a sense of scale and the link to each calibers wikipedia page will be provided. Some popular ones include:
5.56x45 (Standard)
[Bullet Diameter = 5.70 mm / 0.224 inches] [Weight = 55gr - 80gr]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5.56×45mm_NATO
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6.8 Remington SPC - Great for varmints and small deer.
[Bullet Diameter = 7.0 mm / 0.277 inches] [ Weight = 85gr - 130gr]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6.8mm_Remington_SPC
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300 AAC Blackout - Great for small-medium sized deer and designed for use with a suppressor.
[Bullet Diameter = 7.8 mm / 0.308 inches] [Weight = 90gr - 220gr]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.300_AAC_Blackout
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.458 Socom - Perfect for basically any North American large game from large deer to moose and black bears.
[Bullet Diameter = 11.63mm / 0.458 inches] [Weight = 250gr - 600gr]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.458_SOCOM
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For every caliber the AR-15 has been chambered in there are countless other firearms that are semi-automatic, bolt-action, or otherwise that have been chambered for most of the above as well.
Think for a second to yourself, if you had no knowledge of firearms, if I were to show you these cartridges (insert picture of 5.56x45, 6.8SPC, 7.62x39, 308, 30-06, and 300wm) and I asked you which one should be legal for civilian use. I bet you you’d point to the smaller one, which is the 5.56x45 that the AR-15 is traditionally chambered for. This is why when you see people talk about the AR-15 and describe it using words like “powerful” and “deadly” its complete nonsense! I mean look at this cartridge. I think most non-gun owning people would automatically pick the smaller cartridge just based on size not realising this is the AR-15 cartridge and that it is completely inadequate for hunting most game larger than varmints.
The point is, there are absolutely legitimate reasons to own an AR-15. It’s a competition gun, a hunting rifle, a target rifle, or whatever else you want it to be. The AR-15 combines caliber choice with countless options for swapping out grips, rails, forends, and buttstocks, all of which make the gun no deadlier than any other but rather are for personal preference and comfort/ease of use per the individuals taste and desired setup. Like any other gun you want one that feels goods to you and fits you, whether you are 5.5ft with short arms or 6.5ft tall with long gangling arms the AR-15 can be made to fit you. It is as some people say, the Lego of guns and very similar in concept to building a powerful computer for gaming or animation. Just collect all the parts and put them together or buy a complete one and customize it down the line.
Why Banning The AR-15 Will Do Next To Nothing To Improve Public Safety
Because of the recent tragedy in Parkdale Florida there has been a renewed debate in the United States about banning the AR-15 and “military style” firearms. The above has outlined many of the legitimate uses for the rifle and I’d also like to point out that no one needs a “legitimate use” to own something that they enjoy, like a sports car or a 75” TV, they have it because they like it. Especially when them owning their personal property is not the issue. So the following is for the consideration of all the people who are currently gunning after the AR-15 in the U.S.A. and Canada.
I am writing this because unfortunately there are people here in Canada that are calling for further restrictions or trying to ban the AR-15 and similar firearms and worst of all they are using the tragedy that happened in Florida as their backbone to their arguments. Yes, they are using an event that happened in another country as a legitimate reason to call for more restrictions here in Canada. So let me use us as as an example then. To all the Americans reading this right now: Did you know that here in Canada we can own AR-15s? We can also own Tavors, XCR-Ls and XCR-Ms, Type 97s, VZ58s, SKS’ and many more. Did you also know that in Canada you only have to be 18 to purchase AR-15s and handguns? So why then, do you not hear about mass shootings in our country when we have all these “frightening” firearms here? These firearms have rarely if ever been used to commit crimes in Canada and that is because of access. In Canada you need to pass a firearms safety course and obtain a possession and acquisition license but not before passing a background check to obtain a license to own and purchase firearms. I think that this is a very good thing, and I think that this part of our system is well made. Of course after that our firearms laws and regulations crumble and fall apart because the rest are pretty much horribly written garbage. But the fact that we have a fairly solid licensing system in place is what helps prevent people with criminal intent from purchasing firearms. It also means that all firearms owners are going to be law abiding citizens since every firearms owner in Canada is subject to a daily background check 365 days a year. Which may sound scary and foreboding as I thought when I first heard it but I have no intention on breaking any laws nor does this stop me from enjoying my hobby. My point being if it's not already clear to everyone is that trying to ban the AR-15 or any other individual firearm is completely and utterly pointless and will prevent no tragedies as there are countless other firearms that will do the exact same thing. Remember the AR-15 is just another semi-automatic rifle and like any semi-automatic rifle you get one shot per trigger pull, nothing special about that. And our legally owned semi-automatic rifles are not the problem here, the majority of firearms used in gang violence in Canada are pistols and most of those are illegally smuggled in.
The fact that people blame the object used and the companies who make them when someone is shot is insane considering we don’t blame the car and automotive manufacturers when someone is hit walking on the street or there is a vehicle to vehicle collision. Nor do we blame knives when someone is stabbed. I know those are points commonly brought up by firearm owners and with good reason. Trying to push legislation and new laws based on emotion rather than fact is not a good idea for anyone and we've heard the same reasons for years. Semi-automatic rifles have been around for over a hundred years and the AR-15 and other similar rifles are only the latest iterations of the semi-automatic action. What a gun looks like and how it works are two different things. You could paint the AR-15 pink and make the stock out of wood like a more "classic" firearm but that isn't going to make it safer. I’m not saying that having a Federal licensing system is exactly what America needs but the problem is not what gun was used but rather how someone like the Parkdale shooter was able to get any guns period.
Examples of Absurd and Pointless Gun Laws in the U.S.A. and Canada
California
When gun owners see laws in California that have banned certain features on firearms like pistol grips they just sigh and groan. And its infuriating that these kind of laws are passed. In California it is illegal to have a rifle with a pistol grip. Yes the part of the gun that you hold with your hand. What does the grip have to do with making the gun… safer for the public? You got me. These kind of laws are passed by people who have no idea what they are talking about and serve no purpose but to antagonize firearms owners who are simply trying to own their personal property. And worse is that they are manipulating the non-gun owning public into thinking they are somehow safer when in reality the only thing achieved by laws like these are that now instead of having grips like this: (insert pic) Californians have to hold their guns like this: (insert pic) I feel safer already! Thanks that wasn’t a waste of time and resources at all!
Canada
In Canada there are three different levels of possession and acquisition licenses (PAL) for firearms:
Non-restricted: The category includes most firearms in Canada being most rifles and shotguns as well as semi-automatic firearms with a barrel length longer than 18.5”
Restricted: This category includes pistols with a barrel length no shorter than 106mm, semi-automatic rifles with a barrel shorter than 18.5” and AR-15s for no reason.
Prohibited: This category includes AK-47s for no reason as well as all fully automatic or converted automatic firearms and pistols with a barrel length shorter than 106mm.
add>AR-15 compared to other rifles: (BCL102 and XCR-L)
Now these categories are only scratching the surface of the terribly broad and poorly written laws that define and regulate firearms in our country. Simply put the AR-15 should be non-restricted because it does the same thing as our non-restricted Tavors, and XCR-Ls, VZ58s etc.. but for whatever reason it is not. The AR-15 and all other firearms for that matter are just tools used for target practice, sport shooting, hunting, and a myriad of other recreational activities. If a firearms owner were to improperly and illegally misuse their tools they will be hit with harsh criminal penalties and will likely have their firearms confiscated, thus the illegal activities that are a concern to public safety are being perpetrated by gangs using illegally acquired pistols for the most part. Firearms are the same to gun owners as to what hockey sticks are to hockey players, a part of their hobby and necessary for the practice and participation in it. And to many firearms owners they are also a necessary tool for hunting their own food.
Pistol Concealability
The regulations on pistol barrel length are supposed to prevent people from owning pistols that are easy to conceal. This forgoes the fact that anyone who is legally possessing a handgun with their firearms license is not going to be concealing their handguns for criminal purposes because they aren’t criminals. I’d also like to point out that basically every pistol is easily concealable and that there are pistols with a barrel length of 106mm that are equal in total overall size to pistols with a barrel length much shorter than 106mm. Case in point this law is pointless: (insert picture)
Magazine Capacity Limits
This is an issue in the states and Canada. In Canada all magazines for semi-automatic centerfire rifles are limited to 5 rounds. All pistols are limited to 10 rounds. I can’t even begin to express my frustration with this. All magazines in Canada comply to these laws by being pinned. That is there is a small rivet, bend, or stopper in the magazine the prohibits more than five rounds from being loaded. Most commonly this is done with a rivet like this one: By now you should be able to see the pointlessness in these regulations. Any criminal who has the intent for using a gun to commit a crime won’t give a single crap about capacity laws and is going to take that rivet out. It’s just a simple rivet, it won't be hard for them. All they need is a pair of pliers or a drill. So then the only thing this law does is prevent lawful firearm owning citizens from fully enjoying their firearms and brings a big disadvantage to the competitive scene where we see Canadians using full-capacity mags when travelling to the U.S.A to compete but being unable to train and compete here with more than five rounds.
In the U.S.A magazine capacity laws vary by state so the above paragraph notwithstanding it is confusing as to why any lawmaker in any state thinks mag-cap limits will prevent criminals from using a magazines' full capacity when they can just get them from another neighboring state or unpin the ones from the state with the regulations. It’s just bonkers.
So yes after the licensing system our laws don’t make much sense.
How it Works
The AR-15 is a gas operated semi-automatic rifle that uses the pressures produced by firing the gun to cycle the action. What this means is that when a cartridge is fired as the bullet is pushed through the barrel, some of the gasses behind it pass through a small hole in the top of the barrel that feeds into a separate gas tube above the barrel that then directs the gas back against the gas key on the bolt carrier group. The BCG is pushed back by the gases which ejects the fired cartridge from the chamber as it is pushed back. A buffer and return spring behind the BCG pushes it forward again and on its way back the bolt picks up a new loaded cartridge from the magazine and chambers it. The concept is largely the same for all other semi-autos the only difference is that sometimes a piston is being used instead of just gasses or some other type of action, in any case the rifle always only shoots one round per pull of the trigger.
How It Comes Apart
The rifle is easy to take apart and it can be disassembled for cleaning easily without the use of tools.
Caliber Options
In More Detail
The standard caliber for this rifle is 5.56x45 Nato which the military uses today. It is also what the majority of complete AR-15’s sold in stores are chambered for. But after that, there are so many more options for complete rifles and barrels to change the caliber of any AR-15. Here are some of the more common ones:
.223 Wylde: .223 Remington and 5.56x45 are virtually the same cartridge with the same dimensions, however 5.56x45 works at higher pressures than a .223 Remington load does. 5.56x45 is unsafe to use in guns chambered for .223 Remington but .223 Remington can be used in guns chambered for 5.56x45. .223 Wylde is the mid ground that provides a chamber that is safe to use both in while providing better accuracy than a 5.56x45 chamber. The 5.56x45, .223 Remington, and .223 Wylde are all good varmint calibers.
.300 AAC Blackout: Basically a shorter 5.56x45 case that uses a larger bullet. This cartridge was designed to use the same magazines and bolts as the 5.56x45 meaning that to convert a rifle to shoot it only required a barrel swap. This cartridge was designed to push heavier bullets of the 180-210gr range at velocities below the speed of sound for use with suppressors. The cartridge is also capable of launching 110-150gr bullets above the speed of sound and has found much use in the US for hunting and is a favorite for hunting feral hogs.
6.8 SPC: Designed by Remington in the early 2000s as a replacement for the military's standard 5.56x45, this round offers a bigger projectie while retaining similar ballistics to the 5.56x45. The round was not accepted at the time but gained a popularity from the firearms community and it suitable for hunting small game like varmints and whitetail deer.
6.5 Grendel: One of the new standards for the AR-15, this caliber has a bullet in between that of a 5.56x45 and .300 Blackout, providing it with a good compromise of speed and knockdown power plus long range capabilities in the same size of platform. This caliber is great for long range target shooting and hunting applications.
.224 Valkyrie: The newest caliber being introduced to the AR-15 market by Federal provides better ballistics at long ranges than both the 5.56x45 and 6.5 Grendel and seems to have the potential to be the new standard for long range target shooting in the AR platform.
.458 Socom: Arguably the most popular big-bore AR cartridge, this round was designed for military use when operators found the 5.56x45 to be too small and required more than one shot to incapacitate targets. The .458 socom sacrifices velocity and long range capabilities but greatly increases on the knockdown power by launching a .458 diameter bullet at speeds of 1000-2200 fps. Designed for suppressed use the round is also favored by civilian hunters for being suitable for any North American game.
This is only the precipice of different options for calibers available in the AR-15 and all of these cartridges have been applied to bolt-action rifles as well.
(just saving this paragraph here)
Modularity
This, ladies and and gentleman, is the reason why the AR-15 is so darn popular. It is modular as heck! It’s been called the Lego of guns by some and for good reason. It has the support of countless manufacturers and accessory makers in the industry across the U.S.A., Canada, and beyond. Virtually every part can be swapped out from the barrel to change calibers or to the tiniest of pins. BUT! Does this make the gun more dangerous than any others? No, its just convenient and it works well with any set up. You can swap out calibers to have a bigger bullet that deals more stopping power but when you get too big you are giving up velocity, range, and ammo capacity. Every caliber has a downside, however minor, and every caliber has a use. Most modifications are arguably for looks while others are to improve the feel and fit of a rifle to an individual user's needs. Which is why this is the choice for the competitive shooting sports in the US and Canada and the choice for many hunting setups in the USA. Take the 1911 handgun for example. Designed by John Browning in 1911 it was such a good and revolutionary design that it is still one of the most popular designs of pistol today. And many manufacturers have taken this design and used it to make incredibly expensive competition or high quality pistols, and there is a large availability of aftermarket parts from various companies. I see the AR-15 which was originally designed in the early 60s is just like the 1911.
Alrighty folks here is my plan and intentions: I am writing a lengthy ever-evolving article that will be detailing the AR-15. How it functions, why its popular, and why a ban in the United States and Canada will do nothing. I am writing this with the intent of it being a one stop shop for all info regarding the rifle that will be available to anyone who is uninformed and a useful tool for gun owners to show people.
Because certain uninformed Canadian anti-gunners and politicians response to the shootings in the U.S.A. has been a cry for more gun regulations here. Which have sprung rumors of an AR-15 ban and more restrictions in Canada because of something that happened in another country I fully intend for this to be used by both Americans and Canadians alike. Basically if anti-gunners and politicians here want to use events in another country as the back-bone of proposed changes then I will use the fact that we have AR-15s, tavors, XCR-Ls etc... and yet have virtually no mass shootings to point out that the problem in the states ins't the rifle that was used but access, something that I think will help American's argue against bans over there. I don't know enough about America's gun laws to comment much further than that on that subject but I will say that I like some of their laws and I don't like some of their laws. Because so many of their laws are regulated by state it gets to be very convoluted.
In my opinion the licensing system here is good. Ie: Take a safety course, have a background check done, and get a license. I think this does a good job at keeping guns out of the hands of people that would otherwise be unsuitable to use firearms or that would try to use lawfully owned guns for illegal purposes. I wouldn't want to be driving if I knew that people could get a car without first taking a drivers course and obtaining a license right, nor do I won't any random person having access to guns. Of course after the licensing portion of our firearms system everything else is pretty sh*tty but I think at least that part is good. This article isn't really about the rest of our gun regulation and classification woes but it will include points of it since the article is for Canadians and Americans. In the best case scenario this will be a useful tool for many firearms owners in Canada and the United States. Yes I know this information is everywhere but I want to gather virtually all of it here and not water it down a single bit so everyone can understand it regardless of their knowledge on firearms and law, and I want to have it apply to recent efforts for bans in the States and Canada because that is relevant to the subject.
What I plan to include:
How the AR-15 functions
Some of Canada's laws vs the U.S.A
Legitimate uses for the AR-15 (because anti-gunners and even some firearms owners frequently cry out that their is no purpose for owning them)
Some examples of ineffective firearm law in Canada and the United States
Lots of pictures
I will be adding the "how it functions" and "how it comes apart" sections later when I can get my camera set up to take some pictures and videos of my rifles for visual aids. I will also be correcting the placement and arrangement of the article as I go along because it is fairly random at the moment.
I do not want to include politics in this article or as little as I can manage. Ie: No Liberals say this and Conservative gun owners say that.
The following is what I have so far and understand that this is an incredibly rough draft that I just jotted down essentially. What I'm looking for is help adding stuff to it that I might have missed and correcting any errors I may have made, any suggestions are welcome as this is an ever evolving piece. When I make updates I will update it here as well until we reach a 1.0 live version that I will then upload to my blog which I will be launching and will be sending it to various gun organizations to use if they want to. (Note: my blog will not be monetized)
Expect organizational and grammatical errors in this current rendition. The post will be updated regularly as I apply changes, check back often.
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A Guide to the AR-15 Rifle
An American and Canadian Favourite
For the curious, the uninformed, and the willfully ignorant
The AR-15 is one of the most popular rifles in the United States and among firearms enthusiasts in Canada. It has also been the subject of much attention from the media and anti-gun groups following several mass shootings in the United States. What has repeatedly happened and what I’ve repeatedly seen happen after these horrible events is that gun owners and the anti-gunners get going at each other's throats. And almost every single time I’ve seen people on both sides as well as the media calling for bans on the AR-15 and “military style” firearms. And each and every time they spew nonsense and false information about it.
The purpose of all of what follows is to educate and inform everyone on what exactly the AR15 is, how it generally operates, how banning it will do no good, and its legitimate purposes in the hands of civilians. I am Canadian and here in Canada we can own AR-15s.
A Multitude of Uses
One of the most common “arguments” that I commonly see from anti-gunners and even from some gun owners is that the rifle has no real world uses for civilians (despite the AR-15 being a civilian rifle). This is of course, simply flat out not true. Turns out people have been using semi-automatic firearms for hunting and competition shooting for years and in fact many non-AR-15 or “military style” hunting rifles are semi-automatic.
HUNTING
I see people commenting on social media that you don’t need “that many” shots to hunt or that people who need to shoot that many times shouldn’t be hunting. Of course both of these claims are completely ludicrous because they assume that people using semi-autos for hunting are spewing rounds at whatever game they are after. I’d like to gently remind people that semi-auto doesn't mean “shooting fast” it's just the type of action on these firearms that denotes how it operates. Many people enjoy using semi-autos for hunting because of the ease of use, which is especially prevalent in semi-auto shotguns used for waterfowl. And in certain situations the semi-automatic capabilities do come in handy, like for example while hunting feral hogs in the states. Most bolt-action hunting rifles have a magazine as well, for any potential follow up shots, semi-auto simply means that the person doesn’t need to operate the action to chamber another round themselves. Don’t get me wrong, if you are hunting and you need to pop-off multiple shots because you can’t aim well enough to take down an animal in one then I think you should be spending some more time at the range practicing before you head out into the bush.
The Competitive Shooting Sports
The AR-15 is also the most popular rifle for certain shooting competitions. Like 3-gun matches where competitors run through a course and use three different guns throughout each stage, a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle. Even here in Canada where you have to get permission from the RCMP to take the AR-15 to events, it still remains the most popular rifle at competitions because it offers much more customizability and is therefore a better option for most people over similar firearms. Make no mistake, the AR-15 is as popular as it is because of the ease of swapping out parts and the aftermarket support it has received resulting in hundreds of companies producing literally thousands of different parts for this gun. Keep in mind, these parts make the rifle no more deadly than any other semi-automatic firearm.
No, It’s Not Some Kind of “Super Gun”
Another thing that many people don’t seem to realise is that the AR-15 is not anymore powerful than any other semi-automatic or bolt-action any other rifle out there. A firearms’ power is not determined by its action or by its so called “militaristic” looks. It is determined by a number of other things, but can be broken down into two parts that work together: The caliber the gun is chambered for, and the length of the barrel. That’s basically it. Generally a good rule of thumb is that smaller bullets will be going faster than larger ones and longer barrels means more velocity and accuracy. Here is a quick breakdown:
Smaller Bullets:
Smaller bullets can be driven faster and are able to reach out to farther distances while retaining more velocity.
However smaller bullets have less mass and therefore less stopping power.
Smaller bullets also generally are used in smaller cartridges which means that more ammo can be carried in a single magazine.
Larger Bullets:
Larger bullets can’t be driven as fast and so sacrifice velocity and the largest ones will be sacrificing a lot of range.
Larger bullets have more mass which results in more stopping power.
Larger bullets are generally used in larger cartridges that take up more space so there is a potential to lose capacity in magazines.
The AR-15s Standard Caliber: 5.56x45
Now let's look at the standard AR-15 caliber. This (have picture) is what most AR-15s are chambered in, the 5.56x45 NATO. This cartridge pushes a 55 grain bullet at over 2800 feet per second. This caliber would be great for hunting varmints with but not for large game. Enter the reason the AR-15 is so popular, not because its inherently more powerful than another rifle but because it is so customizable. The standard 5.56x45 caliber can be swapped out for a number of other cartridges. The diameter of each calibers bullet and its approximate weight range will be included to provide you with a sense of scale and the link to each calibers wikipedia page will be provided. Some popular ones include:
5.56x45 (Standard)
[Bullet Diameter = 5.70 mm / 0.224 inches] [Weight = 55gr - 80gr]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5.56×45mm_NATO
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6.8 Remington SPC - Great for varmints and small deer.
[Bullet Diameter = 7.0 mm / 0.277 inches] [ Weight = 85gr - 130gr]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6.8mm_Remington_SPC
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300 AAC Blackout - Great for small-medium sized deer and designed for use with a suppressor.
[Bullet Diameter = 7.8 mm / 0.308 inches] [Weight = 90gr - 220gr]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.300_AAC_Blackout
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.458 Socom - Perfect for basically any North American large game from large deer to moose and black bears.
[Bullet Diameter = 11.63mm / 0.458 inches] [Weight = 250gr - 600gr]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.458_SOCOM
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For every caliber the AR-15 has been chambered in there are countless other firearms that are semi-automatic, bolt-action, or otherwise that have been chambered for most of the above as well.
Think for a second to yourself, if you had no knowledge of firearms, if I were to show you these cartridges (insert picture of 5.56x45, 6.8SPC, 7.62x39, 308, 30-06, and 300wm) and I asked you which one should be legal for civilian use. I bet you you’d point to the smaller one, which is the 5.56x45 that the AR-15 is traditionally chambered for. This is why when you see people talk about the AR-15 and describe it using words like “powerful” and “deadly” its complete nonsense! I mean look at this cartridge. I think most non-gun owning people would automatically pick the smaller cartridge just based on size not realising this is the AR-15 cartridge and that it is completely inadequate for hunting most game larger than varmints.
The point is, there are absolutely legitimate reasons to own an AR-15. It’s a competition gun, a hunting rifle, a target rifle, or whatever else you want it to be. The AR-15 combines caliber choice with countless options for swapping out grips, rails, forends, and buttstocks, all of which make the gun no deadlier than any other but rather are for personal preference and comfort/ease of use per the individuals taste and desired setup. Like any other gun you want one that feels goods to you and fits you, whether you are 5.5ft with short arms or 6.5ft tall with long gangling arms the AR-15 can be made to fit you. It is as some people say, the Lego of guns and very similar in concept to building a powerful computer for gaming or animation. Just collect all the parts and put them together or buy a complete one and customize it down the line.
Why Banning The AR-15 Will Do Next To Nothing To Improve Public Safety
Because of the recent tragedy in Parkdale Florida there has been a renewed debate in the United States about banning the AR-15 and “military style” firearms. The above has outlined many of the legitimate uses for the rifle and I’d also like to point out that no one needs a “legitimate use” to own something that they enjoy, like a sports car or a 75” TV, they have it because they like it. Especially when them owning their personal property is not the issue. So the following is for the consideration of all the people who are currently gunning after the AR-15 in the U.S.A. and Canada.
I am writing this because unfortunately there are people here in Canada that are calling for further restrictions or trying to ban the AR-15 and similar firearms and worst of all they are using the tragedy that happened in Florida as their backbone to their arguments. Yes, they are using an event that happened in another country as a legitimate reason to call for more restrictions here in Canada. So let me use us as as an example then. To all the Americans reading this right now: Did you know that here in Canada we can own AR-15s? We can also own Tavors, XCR-Ls and XCR-Ms, Type 97s, VZ58s, SKS’ and many more. Did you also know that in Canada you only have to be 18 to purchase AR-15s and handguns? So why then, do you not hear about mass shootings in our country when we have all these “frightening” firearms here? These firearms have rarely if ever been used to commit crimes in Canada and that is because of access. In Canada you need to pass a firearms safety course and obtain a possession and acquisition license but not before passing a background check to obtain a license to own and purchase firearms. I think that this is a very good thing, and I think that this part of our system is well made. Of course after that our firearms laws and regulations crumble and fall apart because the rest are pretty much horribly written garbage. But the fact that we have a fairly solid licensing system in place is what helps prevent people with criminal intent from purchasing firearms. It also means that all firearms owners are going to be law abiding citizens since every firearms owner in Canada is subject to a daily background check 365 days a year. Which may sound scary and foreboding as I thought when I first heard it but I have no intention on breaking any laws nor does this stop me from enjoying my hobby. My point being if it's not already clear to everyone is that trying to ban the AR-15 or any other individual firearm is completely and utterly pointless and will prevent no tragedies as there are countless other firearms that will do the exact same thing. Remember the AR-15 is just another semi-automatic rifle and like any semi-automatic rifle you get one shot per trigger pull, nothing special about that. And our legally owned semi-automatic rifles are not the problem here, the majority of firearms used in gang violence in Canada are pistols and most of those are illegally smuggled in.
The fact that people blame the object used and the companies who make them when someone is shot is insane considering we don’t blame the car and automotive manufacturers when someone is hit walking on the street or there is a vehicle to vehicle collision. Nor do we blame knives when someone is stabbed. I know those are points commonly brought up by firearm owners and with good reason. Trying to push legislation and new laws based on emotion rather than fact is not a good idea for anyone and we've heard the same reasons for years. Semi-automatic rifles have been around for over a hundred years and the AR-15 and other similar rifles are only the latest iterations of the semi-automatic action. What a gun looks like and how it works are two different things. You could paint the AR-15 pink and make the stock out of wood like a more "classic" firearm but that isn't going to make it safer. I’m not saying that having a Federal licensing system is exactly what America needs but the problem is not what gun was used but rather how someone like the Parkdale shooter was able to get any guns period.
Examples of Absurd and Pointless Gun Laws in the U.S.A. and Canada
California
When gun owners see laws in California that have banned certain features on firearms like pistol grips they just sigh and groan. And its infuriating that these kind of laws are passed. In California it is illegal to have a rifle with a pistol grip. Yes the part of the gun that you hold with your hand. What does the grip have to do with making the gun… safer for the public? You got me. These kind of laws are passed by people who have no idea what they are talking about and serve no purpose but to antagonize firearms owners who are simply trying to own their personal property. And worse is that they are manipulating the non-gun owning public into thinking they are somehow safer when in reality the only thing achieved by laws like these are that now instead of having grips like this: (insert pic) Californians have to hold their guns like this: (insert pic) I feel safer already! Thanks that wasn’t a waste of time and resources at all!
Canada
In Canada there are three different levels of possession and acquisition licenses (PAL) for firearms:
Non-restricted: The category includes most firearms in Canada being most rifles and shotguns as well as semi-automatic firearms with a barrel length longer than 18.5”
Restricted: This category includes pistols with a barrel length no shorter than 106mm, semi-automatic rifles with a barrel shorter than 18.5” and AR-15s for no reason.
Prohibited: This category includes AK-47s for no reason as well as all fully automatic or converted automatic firearms and pistols with a barrel length shorter than 106mm.
add>AR-15 compared to other rifles: (BCL102 and XCR-L)
Now these categories are only scratching the surface of the terribly broad and poorly written laws that define and regulate firearms in our country. Simply put the AR-15 should be non-restricted because it does the same thing as our non-restricted Tavors, and XCR-Ls, VZ58s etc.. but for whatever reason it is not. The AR-15 and all other firearms for that matter are just tools used for target practice, sport shooting, hunting, and a myriad of other recreational activities. If a firearms owner were to improperly and illegally misuse their tools they will be hit with harsh criminal penalties and will likely have their firearms confiscated, thus the illegal activities that are a concern to public safety are being perpetrated by gangs using illegally acquired pistols for the most part. Firearms are the same to gun owners as to what hockey sticks are to hockey players, a part of their hobby and necessary for the practice and participation in it. And to many firearms owners they are also a necessary tool for hunting their own food.
Pistol Concealability
The regulations on pistol barrel length are supposed to prevent people from owning pistols that are easy to conceal. This forgoes the fact that anyone who is legally possessing a handgun with their firearms license is not going to be concealing their handguns for criminal purposes because they aren’t criminals. I’d also like to point out that basically every pistol is easily concealable and that there are pistols with a barrel length of 106mm that are equal in total overall size to pistols with a barrel length much shorter than 106mm. Case in point this law is pointless: (insert picture)
Magazine Capacity Limits
This is an issue in the states and Canada. In Canada all magazines for semi-automatic centerfire rifles are limited to 5 rounds. All pistols are limited to 10 rounds. I can’t even begin to express my frustration with this. All magazines in Canada comply to these laws by being pinned. That is there is a small rivet, bend, or stopper in the magazine the prohibits more than five rounds from being loaded. Most commonly this is done with a rivet like this one: By now you should be able to see the pointlessness in these regulations. Any criminal who has the intent for using a gun to commit a crime won’t give a single crap about capacity laws and is going to take that rivet out. It’s just a simple rivet, it won't be hard for them. All they need is a pair of pliers or a drill. So then the only thing this law does is prevent lawful firearm owning citizens from fully enjoying their firearms and brings a big disadvantage to the competitive scene where we see Canadians using full-capacity mags when travelling to the U.S.A to compete but being unable to train and compete here with more than five rounds.
In the U.S.A magazine capacity laws vary by state so the above paragraph notwithstanding it is confusing as to why any lawmaker in any state thinks mag-cap limits will prevent criminals from using a magazines' full capacity when they can just get them from another neighboring state or unpin the ones from the state with the regulations. It’s just bonkers.
So yes after the licensing system our laws don’t make much sense.
How it Works
The AR-15 is a gas operated semi-automatic rifle that uses the pressures produced by firing the gun to cycle the action. What this means is that when a cartridge is fired as the bullet is pushed through the barrel, some of the gasses behind it pass through a small hole in the top of the barrel that feeds into a separate gas tube above the barrel that then directs the gas back against the gas key on the bolt carrier group. The BCG is pushed back by the gases which ejects the fired cartridge from the chamber as it is pushed back. A buffer and return spring behind the BCG pushes it forward again and on its way back the bolt picks up a new loaded cartridge from the magazine and chambers it. The concept is largely the same for all other semi-autos the only difference is that sometimes a piston is being used instead of just gasses or some other type of action, in any case the rifle always only shoots one round per pull of the trigger.
How It Comes Apart
The rifle is easy to take apart and it can be disassembled for cleaning easily without the use of tools.
Caliber Options
In More Detail
The standard caliber for this rifle is 5.56x45 Nato which the military uses today. It is also what the majority of complete AR-15’s sold in stores are chambered for. But after that, there are so many more options for complete rifles and barrels to change the caliber of any AR-15. Here are some of the more common ones:
.223 Wylde: .223 Remington and 5.56x45 are virtually the same cartridge with the same dimensions, however 5.56x45 works at higher pressures than a .223 Remington load does. 5.56x45 is unsafe to use in guns chambered for .223 Remington but .223 Remington can be used in guns chambered for 5.56x45. .223 Wylde is the mid ground that provides a chamber that is safe to use both in while providing better accuracy than a 5.56x45 chamber. The 5.56x45, .223 Remington, and .223 Wylde are all good varmint calibers.
.300 AAC Blackout: Basically a shorter 5.56x45 case that uses a larger bullet. This cartridge was designed to use the same magazines and bolts as the 5.56x45 meaning that to convert a rifle to shoot it only required a barrel swap. This cartridge was designed to push heavier bullets of the 180-210gr range at velocities below the speed of sound for use with suppressors. The cartridge is also capable of launching 110-150gr bullets above the speed of sound and has found much use in the US for hunting and is a favorite for hunting feral hogs.
6.8 SPC: Designed by Remington in the early 2000s as a replacement for the military's standard 5.56x45, this round offers a bigger projectie while retaining similar ballistics to the 5.56x45. The round was not accepted at the time but gained a popularity from the firearms community and it suitable for hunting small game like varmints and whitetail deer.
6.5 Grendel: One of the new standards for the AR-15, this caliber has a bullet in between that of a 5.56x45 and .300 Blackout, providing it with a good compromise of speed and knockdown power plus long range capabilities in the same size of platform. This caliber is great for long range target shooting and hunting applications.
.224 Valkyrie: The newest caliber being introduced to the AR-15 market by Federal provides better ballistics at long ranges than both the 5.56x45 and 6.5 Grendel and seems to have the potential to be the new standard for long range target shooting in the AR platform.
.458 Socom: Arguably the most popular big-bore AR cartridge, this round was designed for military use when operators found the 5.56x45 to be too small and required more than one shot to incapacitate targets. The .458 socom sacrifices velocity and long range capabilities but greatly increases on the knockdown power by launching a .458 diameter bullet at speeds of 1000-2200 fps. Designed for suppressed use the round is also favored by civilian hunters for being suitable for any North American game.
This is only the precipice of different options for calibers available in the AR-15 and all of these cartridges have been applied to bolt-action rifles as well.
(just saving this paragraph here)
Modularity
This, ladies and and gentleman, is the reason why the AR-15 is so darn popular. It is modular as heck! It’s been called the Lego of guns by some and for good reason. It has the support of countless manufacturers and accessory makers in the industry across the U.S.A., Canada, and beyond. Virtually every part can be swapped out from the barrel to change calibers or to the tiniest of pins. BUT! Does this make the gun more dangerous than any others? No, its just convenient and it works well with any set up. You can swap out calibers to have a bigger bullet that deals more stopping power but when you get too big you are giving up velocity, range, and ammo capacity. Every caliber has a downside, however minor, and every caliber has a use. Most modifications are arguably for looks while others are to improve the feel and fit of a rifle to an individual user's needs. Which is why this is the choice for the competitive shooting sports in the US and Canada and the choice for many hunting setups in the USA. Take the 1911 handgun for example. Designed by John Browning in 1911 it was such a good and revolutionary design that it is still one of the most popular designs of pistol today. And many manufacturers have taken this design and used it to make incredibly expensive competition or high quality pistols, and there is a large availability of aftermarket parts from various companies. I see the AR-15 which was originally designed in the early 60s is just like the 1911.
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rolleyes: thanks for that image Elizabeth May, no ambiguity about what she thinks of us). The deep magazines stateside are a big part of this perception. Better to just leave it at, "our magazines are limited to 5 rounds for semi-auto rifles and 10 rounds for semi-auto pistols, anything over that is considered a prohibited device". To bring up the fact that some magazines can be altered is not a good idea. Remember we are trying to sway opinions here, many based on watching scores of action movies. K.I.S.S., is the best approach as far as mag limits go. 5 and 10, that's it, make a big deal over the rivet and ALL magazines will end up like the post ban 10 round mags for pistols, a pain in the ass to load, or fish out of your pouch because it's half as tall as the pouch is deep...
