{"id":20535,"date":"2019-10-16T19:38:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T02:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dryfiretrainingcards.com\/blog\/?p=20535"},"modified":"2021-06-21T14:49:59","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T21:49:59","slug":"why-doesnt-the-military-ever-assault-with-ar-15s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dryfiretrainingcards.com\/blog\/why-doesnt-the-military-ever-assault-with-ar-15s\/","title":{"rendered":"Why doesn\u2019t the military ever \u201cassault\u201d with AR-15s?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a lot of political talk recently about banning \u201cassault\u201d “rifles” like the AR-15.<\/p>\n

How civilians don\u2019t need \u201cweapons of war\u201d for hunting or self defense.<\/p>\n

How deadly they are.<\/p>\n

A silly man in south Texas even thought that Texans would willingly give theirs up…<\/p>\n

But, if they\u2019re so deadly and effective, why doesn\u2019t the military ever use them for assaulting?<\/p>\n

What do they use?\u00a0 And why don\u2019t they use the AR-15?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a few things going on here.\u00a0 A couple are review, so I\u2019ll be quick…I need to paint with a broad stroke for brevity so please forgive any over-generalizations, but you’re encouraged to point them out in the comments:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. AR-15 is the designation of the model 15 long gun from the Armalite Corporation. That designation was bought by Colt.\u00a0 AR-15 became the default name for semi-auto long guns with a distinct look just like Kleenex became the default name for tissues.\u00a0 AR-15s with a barrel over 20″ in length are generally called “rifles” and if they’re under 20″ in length, they’re called “carbines”.<\/li>\n
  2. The first assault weapon, or Sturmgewer (Sturm=storm as in “storm the castle” and gewer=gun), was the MP43 or StG44. One of it\u2019s key features was it\u2019s ability to fire semi auto or multiple rounds with a single trigger press.\u00a0 Also called “select fire.”<\/li>\n
  3. Since 1970, The US Army has defined an assault weapon as being short<\/strong>, compact, \u201cselect fire\u201d weapon capable of firing semi-auto, bursts or full-auto.\u00a0 Short has generally been considered to be carbine length or shorter…not longer, rifle length weapons (which is why you should ask anyone who uses the phrase “assault rifle” what they’re talking about).\u00a0 Semi-auto firearms are not assault weapons and “rifles” are generally<\/em> not regarded as assault weapons or used for assaulting.\u00a0 As an example, the barrel length of the M14 was shortened to a carbine length 16″ and renamed the SOCOM 16 in part, so that it would be more useful as an “assault” weapon.<\/li>\n
  4. The AR-15 is the dumbed down, civilian semi-auto version of the military\u2019s M-16 or M-4. Saying that an AR-15 is the same as an M-4 because it looks similar is as prejudiced and ridiculous as saying that an airsoft replica is the same as an M-4 because they look similar.\u00a0 At best, it\u2019s intellectually lazy. \u00a0At worst, it\u2019s purposely deceptive.\u00a0 As an example, here’s a picture of my son when he was 6 and going through a Navy SEAL phase holding a non-functional airsoft gun that LOOKS like an M-16 or M-4 but only a fool would call it an assault weapon simply because of it’s color or how it looks.\"\"<\/li>\n
  5. The military doesn\u2019t assault with AR-15s because the AR-15 is not an assault weapon and the military has assault weapons like the M-16, M-4, and other select fire carbines for that job.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now, there are some other points being made that I\u2019ll address real quickly\u2026<\/p>\n

    \u201cCivilians don\u2019t need access to weapons of war\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Since the AR is NOT an assault weapon, most are carbines and not rifles, and since they’re seldom, if ever, used by the military, that shouldn\u2019t be a problem\u2026but a Glock pistol, 1911, KaBar knife, Remington 870 shotgun, Remington 700 bolt action rifle, a Mosin Nagant, .38 special revolver, tomahawk, bow & arrow, and a shovel ARE all proven and widely used weapons of war.<\/p>\n

    \u201cAR-15s should be banned because they\u2019re extra deadly.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    First off, if you look at Table 8 of the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting statistics for 2018, you\u2019ll see the following:<\/p>\n

    # of people killed\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Weapon used<\/p>\n

    297\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 ALL rifles, including ARs, AKs, and hunting rifles of all calibers<\/p>\n

    1,515\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Knives or cutting instruments<\/p>\n

    443\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.)<\/p>\n

    672\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)<\/p>\n

    So\u2026we can see that rifles as a whole aren\u2019t necessarily deadly because of the comparative number of people being killed each year.<\/p>\n

    It must be that the .223 or 5.56 cartridges are extra deadly\u2026<\/p>\n

    That the bullet explodes when it hits, causes massive internal damage, goes in the leg and out the shoulder and pulverizes everything in-between\u2026<\/p>\n

    Anything that enters the body traveling at 2,000 feet per second is going to do serious damage.\u00a0 Especially if you hit high-middle chest.<\/p>\n

    But\u2026<\/p>\n

    If \u201chunting rifles\u201d are fine with politicians\u2026<\/p>\n

    And ARs are extra dangerous and need to be banned because of how much more deadly they are, then why do Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Washington, and West Virginia all prohibit hunting deer (which generally only weigh between 100-250 pounds) with the .223 or 5.56 rounds that the AR traditionally uses?<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s banned for hunting deer in these states because the round is generally considered to be underpowered and unforgiving unless you have solid placement and does not reliably kill a 100-250 pound animal quickly enough to be humane without proper round placement.<\/p>\n

    (To be clear, the law is not an indictment against the .223…it’s effective when the hunter does their job and places the round where it needs to go.\u00a0 As an Idahoan, I CAN hunt deer with a .223 while my neighbors in Washington a few miles away can not.\u00a0 I simply see this as a recognition by legislators that Idahoans are naturally superior hunters and marksmen.)<\/p>\n

    To compound it even more, the military has been trying to get away from the 5.56 for years because of how ineffective it is at stopping threats after going through walls, vehicles, trees, and other barriers.\u00a0 They’re in the process of moving to a round that is more “barrier blind” as we speak.<\/p>\n

    Hmmm\u2026<\/p>\n

    If the stats say that ARs are killing fewer people than fists, knives, and hammers, lawmakers in several states say that ARs aren\u2019t deadly enough, and the military says it isn’t lethal enough after passing through barriers, it makes you wonder why politicians and the media so up in arms?<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s what I know.<\/p>\n

    All of this talk about banning ARs is causing good people to buy ARs by the boat-load\u2026\u201djust in case\u201d<\/p>\n

    But all of those ARs aren\u2019t going to do people any good whatsoever without the skill to use them.<\/p>\n

    And most AR owners don\u2019t practice enough or practice the right things because of range restrictions and expense.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s not just ARs\u2026it\u2019s AKs and other rifles and carbines as well.<\/p>\n

    Which is why, if you own a rifle or carbine\u2026whether it\u2019s for \u201cjust in case\u201d, for home defense, for fun, or for hunting it\u2019s so vital to have the right training and the right tools to be able to train effectively at home.<\/p>\n

    And >THIS<\/a><\/strong>< is the best at-home training for the defensive use of a carbine or rifle.<\/p>\n

    It was designed by military and law enforcement instructors with thousands of entries under their belts, but it\u2019s geared specifically for use by civilians defending themselves against a violent attack in their home.<\/p>\n

    Why\u2019s that important?<\/p>\n

    In short, the dynamics of being on your own are different than when you\u2019re on a team.<\/p>\n

    They\u2019re different in a war zone than in your home.<\/p>\n

    And they\u2019re different when you are all geared up and ready for battle than when you\u2019re just relaxing at home and suddenly find yourself in a fight for your life.<\/p>\n

    A lot of the carbine training that\u2019s being taught today is REALLY fun and cool, but has limited practical application in a fight in your home.<\/p>\n

    This training is different.<\/p>\n

    You\u2019ll learn shooting, maneuvering, and house hardening techniques that are specifically geared for keeping you alive through a worst-case event.<\/p>\n

    Learn more and check out this week’s summer special now by clicking >HERE<\/a><\/strong><<\/p>\n

    You may be wondering what’s up with the orange and blue on the airsoft gun…<\/p>\n

    It is one of my inert non-functional training platforms.\u00a0 The orange is surveyor’s tape and the blue is painter’s tape.\u00a0 That trainer has stayed out in our living room 24\/7 for most of a decade and I never want there to be any confusion between it and a real gun.\u00a0 Not with relatives, guests, babysitters, people doing work, etc.\u00a0 Nobody gets freaked out by a trainer that’s colored up like a clown car.\u00a0 But having it out and available 24\/7 means that I can safely practice a few minutes at a time with almost no effort at all.\u00a0 And, as you know, a little bit of practice here and there is WAY more effective than trying to cram in all of your practice in 2, 4, or 8 hour chunks.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    There\u2019s been a lot of political talk recently about banning \u201cassault\u201d “rifles” like the AR-15. How civilians don\u2019t need \u201cweapons of war\u201d for hunting or self defense. How deadly they are. A silly man in south Texas even thought that Texans would willingly give theirs up… But, if they\u2019re so deadly and effective, why doesn\u2019t … Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brain-based-pistol-training","category-carbine"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t