Sorry for coming across hostile, my mistake. I am tired of folks who try to invalidate an opposing view on firearms by using the “I know more than you” card and that’s where my mind immediately jumps to lol.

Semi automatic rifle was the wording I used. A handgun isn’t a rifle. Shut the fuck up I know plenty about guns and own several myself, stop being smug and pulling gotchas to try to prove how smart you are. It doesn’t work.

Exactly, you are putting it into exactly the right words. You’re right about people on the left being more open about their weapon possession recently, but like you said, entirely in response to escalation and threats from right wing militias. And it’s worked! Incredibly well! It’s one of the things that changed a lot of my left-leaning friends’ minds about guns, watching alt right dudes chicken out when they were confronted by a group that’s as heavily armed as they are. It leads to a de-escalation of the situation because ultimately these militia guys are cosplaying cowards. It’s just such a useful deterrent against these goblins.

And this is where the nuance comes in. Because I agree with you 100% and will not try to tell you that you’re wrong for owning an AR. I am personally strictly anti-AR. I don’t own one and I will not own one. That said, a lot of very, very bad people do own one (or several). As such, I understand the people who own one specifically because these extremists own them, and the best deterrent/defense against these thugs who have openly expressed their desire for mass violence is to have the same weapons they have. But, nobody I know who leans left and owns an AR ever wants to use it for its purpose. At all. It’s always something they own as a form of insurance against the bad things that are creeping closer and closer to us.

Fully agree. I see no reason for AR weapons whatsoever and I do not agree with anyone claiming the need for one. Shotguns and handguns are way, way more effective for home defense and a solidly built bolt-action rifle is plenty sufficient for hunting. There’s no place for a semi automatic rifle in the list titled “reasons to own a gun”. Look I’m even willing to compromise. If we want to keep these weapons legal for sport, then sure let people buy them, but they’d have to stay at the range or club.

Guns are useful tools for many people, but a semi doesn’t fit the job description of any acceptable use of guns any better than other types of weapons. The only thing it’s superior at compared with other types of weapons is hurting as many people as possible as quickly as possible. Fuck em.

The more left I become the more nuanced my opinions on gun laws get. I think we need way more than what we’re doing now, but I also think that banning guns period is impossible and dangerous, because of the absolute freaks who will own guns regardless of the laws (not concerned about street thugs so much as domestic terrorists). Fully agree with the other comment that moderate dems are the ones who are blanket anti gun. Lots and lots of folks on the left are pro-2A for a variety of very valid reasons.