Of Children and of Guns.

[Crepuscular]

12. It depends

I don't own an AR-15 but I do own several other semi-automatic weapons, the new manufacture of one of which would be precluded under the proposed AWB. My firearms use is seasonal. During the winter, I rarely pick one up. During the summer I shoot once a week or so and during the fall I do a lot of hunting, so I'm using firearms 3 -4 times a week during that time of the year. If you have no experience using firearms, you probably would not understand it but guns are fun to shoot. Semi-auto's are just as fun to shoot as other "lesser" guns. There is nothing magical about the functional capabilities of AR-15's, they are popular for reasons that don't have much relation to their functionality, it's mostly appearance, ergonomics and ease of customization.

I'd disagree, there are a lot of similarities between guns and cars that make them analogous. Some people own cars purely as transportation, their ownership is based on functionality. Some people's choice of cars is based on vanity or to make a political statement or for some specialized purpose such as off-roading or simply because they are gearheads who are obsessed with all things automotive related. All reasons that are reflected in the different reasons that various people have for owning firearms.