So I am asked this question the other day.

"Why do you NEED an AR-15?"

The funny thing is, I didn't have a definite, concrete answer to this question. So here was my answer:

I know I don't NEED my rifle, but I'm glad to know I'll have it if I need it.

What is your answer?

Need has nothing to do with it.  I have one because I legally can, no other reason is needed...period.

Ask people why they need a car that can go 110mph, or a TV, or a VCR.  I can go on and on.

If that don't work tell them you need an AR15 because squirrels have bazookas.

Sgtar15

To keep an oppressive government from taking my freedom away. Like that could ever happen.

i have mine as a matter of national security.
it is "necessary for the security of a free state".

The redirect:
* Why do you NEED to know?


The philosophical:
* Why do you NOT own one?


The analogy:
* Why does one NEED a corvette?


The serious:
* Why do so many in Gov't NEED [u]me[/u] to be disarmed?


The truth:
* To protect myself from criminals and tyrants.

Why do I need an AR ? Thats like asking why you need the right to vote . I don't need an AR , but I can have one . If you have to attach the word 'need' to owning certain objects then I think your going to retake certain civics classes . The short answer is the word 'need' should NEVER be and NEVER JUSTIFIED being attached to certain things , like voting , living where you want , driving the kind of car you want et al. (SUV)

Geezus, man, you are on a roll here today...  You sure you aren't some militia screw-ball?  [;)]

the_reject

Thank you Macallen, the truth is I was hoping for an answer from you, being as you have had some of the more witty and well though out responses on this forum. Thank you for replying.

i think the basic need for the AR issomewhat like the collection of glands in the body that scientists have observed serve no visible purpose, yet if removed , the person will die.
same logic, if someone removes my AR, either THEY will die trying, or I will already BE dead.
there you have it, once again science solves a dilemma.

Name calling must be fun, no?

I am just paranoid.

Now you don't have to call me names anymore, I summed it up for you, no?

Because it is more fun than hugging trees, arguing about birthcontrol or watching your boss get a hummer in his office.

By Al Gore

I NEED an AR-15 because they're cool, they're good guns, and because they look 'evil' and people don't want me to have one.

I have one because I still can....
The day that I have to give up mine...then the bad guys would have it....
The analogy is: It's better me to have it than the bad guys.

Just to ask such a question on this forum borders on heresy.

Stone Him

Crucify him

Make him shoot with a Cetme!

i dont need it. but...
better to have and not need
than to need and not have.

My ar is just a status symbal, that is used to punch holes in paper at 600.

___________________________
remember, don't flinch

Get a grip, there, soldier...  You mustn't have taken Mr. Winky ([;)]) for his worth up there in my post.

There's a small amount of logic in being paranoid, but you can't let it run your life.  Let's try and think this through logically here.  If (hypothetically) Mr. BATF-man calls you up on a random departmental survey and asks you why you own an AR-15, would YOU give him your earlier response of "To keep an oppressive government from taking my freedom away"?

If you would, congrats, you've got quite the pair down there.  You'll be needing them ([b]AND[/b] your paranoia) now that you'll be subject to frequent fly-bys by black helicopters and chemtrails.  [whacko]

Like I said, a little paranoia is good for you.  Keeps you aware.  Keeps you skeptical, and therefore, always questioning the "answer" you are given.

Too much, however, makes you look like you are writing manifestos on your broken typewriter in some shack in the mountains.  Don't blow your cover...

[peep]

the_reject

To late, cover blown.[;)]

Because of the entertainment provided by idiots asking me why I need one.

[(:|)]

Here is a good reason!
[url]www.keepandbeararms.com/newsarchives/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=2126[/url]

Just tell your friend "have you seen what kind of guns the badguys are packing?" Then say "I will not be outgunned!"

Wow ar10 thats a good site did you read the pamplet now christian identity is classified as a hate group?
Defenders of the US constitution? Yeah we need to get rid of those guys!

I need an AR15 for the same reason murderers and dictators need them and other weapons.

Many reasons. But mostly because of those who DON'T have AR15s.

Simple…
The AR15 is the product of evolution in modern firearm.  It incorporates many useful features that have been developed for military use that have easy been adapted for civilian use.  

Therese really nothing special about the AR15, it’s a modern firearm and serves the same purposes as other firearms.  
- Sulaco

So I can look in the mirror and pretend I'm Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[http://www.a-human-right.com]

"You don't really need a gun....until you [b][u]REALLY[/U][/B] need a gun!"

I like the one that asks this-


The proper response to electronic fraud...

A. prohibit you and other law-abiding citizens from buying computers.

B. limit you and other law-abiding citizens to computers that have no more than two of the following features: 66MHz or faster processor, 14.4 baud or faster modem, 8MB or more RAM, 500MB or larger hard drive.

C. prosecute the perpetrator of the crime

[center]
[img]http://www.indelibleinc.com/kubrick/films/strangelove/images/cigar2.jpg[/img]
[i]"Because only filthy commies shoot the AK-47"[/i]
[/center]

If you wait until you NEED one, you'll never be able to get one. Bummer since you now need one...


Besides, I need an AR15 because I can't afford an M16 right now.

becouse i must give it a good home

Why would you want a car that could only go 110?

Because it's just cool to have one.

'Cause it keeps Hillary Clinton up late at nights worrying about all of us having these sorts of weapons!

Don't believe me? Just look at some of her more recent photos and tell me she doesn't look like some paranoid hebephrenic!

Eric The(IHearJanetRenoIsUpLateNightsAsWell)Hun[>]:)]

cause i can

Because my AR is warmer and cuddlier in bed at night than my ex-wife was. [:D]

She had nicer ta-tas though.......[;)]



Seriously...........I usually tell people that as a law abiding citizen, I have every right to own a weapon that is as close as legally possible to the very weapon our soldiers are issued.

If they don't like that then I smack em'[stick]

I don't need one now but you never know,if I do it will do the job
I am a little paranoid.
the main reason is because I think its a cool rifle.

I have them because there might be a time that our homeland needs to be defended. I have more than one so all the up in arms antis can have one when they change their minds.

And about a car that will do 110. Well, if it can only do 110 it ain't worth having. Life starts up around 175.

I own an AR-15 because it makes up for what I lack in other areas.

Love of family, self, and liberty.

They are excellent threat eliminators.

Same as folks who drive sizeable suv's instead of mini-autos.

Same as folks who keep fire extinguishers at home.

Safety.

Tate

I need my AR for service rifle competition. I can't afford an M1 or M1A that would [i]shoot[/i] . . .

For more practicle applications, any good 5.56 mm military rifle would do . . .

People NEED a good rifle because like cell phones, TVs, cars, can openers, air conditioning, etc........they can sometimes make life a hell of a lot easier.

"Need" is not required to exercise a right.

Why do I need one of those?
Why do I need an AR-15 Assault Rifle?

About 230 ago, some incredibly gifted, wealthy, slave-owning, white guys looked at Western Civilization and undertook what is undoubtedly the most radical, profound political revolution ever conceived. Despite what the history books say, it really wasn't about taxes, or troops in people's homes, or the price of tea or any of that crap. These men were British subjects, but taxes were lower in the colonies than in Britain at the time of the Revolution, there was unprecedented freedom, particularly on the frontier, and these guys were generally the wealthy elite who could have been colonial governors if they had chosen to. They could have afforded to drink tea until they pissed pure caffeine.

Another misconception was that it was a popular revolution. I don't remember who said it, but one of those old dead white guys said that the colonists were divided roughly into thirds, one third loyalist, one third ambivalent, and one third revolutionary (sound familiar?). It took years of coercion and propaganda to motivate the general public to take up arms against the British.

What was our Revolution all about then? These guys realized, 2000 miles from their ruling country that they had an unprecedented opportunity to revolt and form a radical new self-government, where political power was vested in the People themselves, not in a ruling class.

It was an ideological revolution that is still radical today, with the Constitution as the Blueprint for Freedom. In this system, individual liberty is the beginning and end of all government activity. That is to say, government powers are only supposed to extend so far, and only with the permission of the governed. Ideally, where my rights as a citizen begin, the powers of government come to an abrupt halt. Conversely, the primary function of government is to guarantee my liberties, hence the Bill of Rights.
So what we have is an incredibly radical new power structure, one not truly duplicated anywhere else in the world.

So how does this explain why I need an AR15 assault rifle?

What the founding fathers knew, and so many of the "People" have forgotten (or never learned), is that Power is a zero sum game. If I have it, the government doesn't, and vice versa. Even many pro-gunners miss the point and we allow ourselves to be distracted with "rights" issues, that, while they exist, aren't specifically addressed by the Constitution (right to hunt, right to self-defense, etc.)

The Constitution, the Blueprint for Freedom, and the Bill of Rights, the non-expiring guarantee of liberty, are about one thing: Power. So don't get confused by other issues here.

- con't

- con't

If this is a country where Power is truly vested in the People, and the government is
LIMITED by the Constitution, then my ownership of an AR15 is off limits to the government. The Second Amendment guarantees my Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the Constitution limits the government to very specific, narrow activities, which does not include regulating guns. So, not only is this right specifically reserved to the
People (or, even with a loose interpretation, the states), it also falls outside of the boundaries outlined in the Constitution for the Federal Govt.

Its a double whammy.

Why is it so important to us? Some people fear a tyrannical government taking over (you think they're "paranoid", despite so many historical lessons I could fill several books; but that's another thread). But most, I believe, are more like me. We still believe in the Revolution and its ideals. We ARE Revolutionaries. Power is vested in
ME, as a citizen, and not in the government. It cannot be taken without my permission, which I do not give. Remember, its a zero sum game, so if the government can infringe those liberties, they really don't exist at all, except in theory. Well, I don't want theoretical freedom. I want the real stuff.

So, some argue, we still have freedom of the press and the rest of it, why the big deal over guns? Well, the Bill of Rights is not a buffet, we don't get to pick and choose. I don't like neo-Socialist rhetoric, but I'm not calling for the abolishment of free speech, am I? Because I know that the First Amendment is also about Power - the Power of information (way deadlier than guns, in the right hands, by the way. Case in point, Hitler, whose propaganda machine convinced the Germans to commit unthinkable atrocities; I digress).

Many of us here in the U.S. see the slow, steady, reversal of our Power structure.
Our rights are becoming more "theoretical" all the time. Anyone see that Dateline NBC story on the Louisiana police who are confiscating cars and money from out of state motorists, without a trial (due process) and are not even charging them with a crime or arresting them? How about the IRS, which in case you aren't familiar, has the power to confiscate just about anything you own with the wave of a bureaucrat’s pen. Both of these are examples of activities strictly forbidden by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, yet it happens all the time and there are many more examples beyond these.

So you see, it's not just the Second Amendment where the reversal of Power is evident. Anymore, it seems that the Constitution is just a shell and government doesn't exist for the people, rather the people (taxpayers) exist for the government.

- con't

- con't

So, like the colonists at Lexington and Concord, this is the issue where we choose to make our stand. Not over taxes, which are atrocious or unreasonable search and seizure, which is rampant, or the separation of powers (who said Klinton could declare war all by himself, anyway?) or any of that other stuff, but over my AR15. Why? Because like our forefathers (80 civilians on a bridge against 1800 regular troops; how committed were they?), we realize its the foundation of Real Power. Without a weapon capable of providing adequate resistance to overthrow an unjust, un-Constitutional government, the rest of those rights truly are hollow, no longer belong to the people, and can be rescinded at any time by the government (many feel we're already past that point). And then they are not rights, they're privileges.
If the government can take my AR15, or restrict the amount of ammunition it holds, or restrict further purchases of "Assault Weapons" then the revolution is dead and so are the ideals countless thousands have died for. There's a reason for the Second
Amendment and gun ownership (ESPECIALLY assault rifles), a reason those colonists on that bridge understood; its the last of my rights to go.

THAT'S why I need an AR15 assault rifle.

- Unknown AR15.com author

(One of the few post I've ever saved, author please step up)

I forgot this reason:

I need an AR15 and hicapo mags because there are a lot of cats in my nieghborhood[:D]

Sgtar15

You need the AR15 because your AK47 told you so.