Oh, those evil black rifles…
The BATFE recently released U.S. firearm manufacturer production data showing that during 2008, AR-15s accounted for eight percent of all firearms and 22 percent of all rifles made in the U.S. and not exported. The number of AR-15s in 2008 — over 337,000 — is staggering, but may have been topped in 2009. And, at the current rate of production, the total number of AR-15s in the U.S. will exceed 2.5 million some time this year, and that doesn’t even count production before 1986, the figures for which are not available.
In other words, the AR-15 market has collapsed, because no one wants AR-15s. At least, that’s what Josh Sugarmann, of the Violence Policy Center, wrote last week on the Huffington Post blog, where the fringe gathers to commiserate about everything it thinks is wrong with America. Sugarmann’s evidence consists of the fact that KBI has discontinued its Charles Daly brand AR-15 line.
We’re not sure what’s happening on Sugarmann’s planet, but on the American portion of Earth the numbers of AR-15 manufacturers and the AR-15s they produce are at all-time highs. AR-15s have been popular for decades and that popularity is growing in leaps and bounds for a variety of reasons. Innovations relating to defensive rifle use now center on AR-15 carbines. Bar none, the AR-15 in its various configurations is the leading marksmanship training and competition rifle in the country, and there are more kinds of training and competition opportunities built around the AR-15 than ever before. And the advent of new cartridges that fit the AR-15 platform, and which are legal for hunting deer-sized game in most states, are rapidly making the AR-15 one of the most popular hunting rifles in the country.
What’s really losing popularity in America are the habitual rants and ruses of groups like VPC, as demonstrated by the fact that Sugarmann and his counterpart at the Brady Campaign, Paul Helmke, can’t get their names into newspapers unless they perform a publicity stunt, and sometimes even the stunts don’t work. Maybe if Josh, Paul, and a couple of their co-workers buy some National Match ARs, they could enter a team Service Rifle competition at this summer’s NRA National Rifle Championships.
We can hear it now. “Team Malcontent, take your positions on the firing line!”
“Team Malcontent?” Who says American Gun Owners don’t have a sense of humor?
Tags: AR 15, Black Rifles, Brady Bunch, Gun Control, News, NRA/ILA, Politics, VPC
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 
March 20, 2010 at 10:55
Never liked the rifle when I carried an earlier version in Vietnam and through the 70’s and I don’t like the variations all the way through the current ones in service..
I can think of any number of rifles that I would prefer for hunting, operational use, or self-defense.
Then again, that’s a purely personal evaluation – although I suspect that there may be some other professional folks out there who may share the sentiment, particularly among the military active in Iraq and Afghanistan.
LikeLike
March 21, 2010 at 09:10
I called it a varmint gun back then, and my opinion hasn’t really changed much since. However, the point being made was,I think, about what a bunch of losers the VPC Brady Bunch et. al. are.
LikeLike
March 21, 2010 at 13:28
Rifles aren’t evil, but people certainly can be. if you ban ownership of weapons, then only the criminals will possess them for they ignore laws.
I’d rather ALL citizens have weapons, that just the criminals and law enforcement. Law enforcers do as well as they can, but they simply cannot always be handy when you need them. Respect the citizenry in that very few of us are insane or criminal.
LikeLike
March 22, 2010 at 06:39
Unfortunately, the “Brady Bunch” are a main cog in the Progressive wheel and they are not going away. Plus, Comrade Obama recently announced that he is planning on bringing back the “assault weapon” ban.
Sarah Brady and company are well-funded and their devotion to fear-mongering will always result in convincing a significant percentage of the population that banning guns can contribute to crime prevention. These people need to be confronted and kept in the minority before America is conned into going the same way as England, Australia and other crime-ridden societies.
Keep in mind that the assault on democracy will only ratchet up a big notch now that “health care reform” has been passed over the objections of the citizenry.
LikeLike
March 22, 2010 at 06:56
Well, ya just blew my daily “real” post out of the water Maine! 🙂
I, quite literally could not say it better myself.
LikeLike
March 25, 2010 at 12:16
[…] What’s “Collapsing” Here? AR 15 Ownership or VPC? « Conservative Libertarian… […]
LikeLike