195
Federal court strikes down New Jersey ban on assault rifles and large-capacity magazines
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2026
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politics
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Civilian AR-15s aren't assault rifles. AR doesn't stand for assault rifle...
AR-15s are a very popular choice amongst mass shooters, when the goal is to maximize mass casualties.
So they're only used as highly effective assault rifles.
For the sake of accuracy, AR-15s are Soft Fluffy Friendly rifles.
Mine is used to put holes in paper and trash. Same for every one my friends own.
The horror.
The AR15 is a watered-down M16. Bump-stocks really narrow the difference gap. There are even full guides on how to modify AR15s into full machine guns.
They're already violating the law making these mods dude. I doubt they would stop at legal acquisition.
Bump stocks are absolute ass for any sort of accuracy, and should absolutely be banned. Perhaps the worst way to enable full auto on any gun.
Right. I'm sure the illegality of making these mods would be a turnoff to mass shooters. My point is that, to reduce the casualty count, the medium of illegality ought to be reduced. Where an AR15 can kill 60 and wound 400+ at a long distance, maybe a reasonable limitation on accessing machine guns such that the only accessible guns are single-shot long-rifles or pistols might have had that number reduced to 10 dead and 60 wounded.
Ar15 is NOT a machine gun.
It can be modified unto one. They're based on the M16. If they're not so good at mechanical reloading and firing, why are they the preferred weapon for mass shooters?
And those modifications are already illegal for any semi auto firearm.
It's just a 5.56 (usually) semi auto rifle. There are others that aren't AR-15s.
The modification being illegal isn't much of a deterent to mass murderers.
The only real effective way to limit their scope of killing is to limit their access to the underlying tool: the AR15. Someone's scope of killing by modifying a 9mm handgun with extended grip =/= modifying an AR15 with extended grip. They differ in all sorts of capabilities: accuracy, capacity, recoil, etc.
What if we removed the motivation to kill people at all? Or is that just impossible?
In all of human history, the motivation to murder has always existed. Murder is even one of the first sins mentioned in the bible.
Ok, murder is innate. So what does that have to do with guns? Are guns totemic and somehow increase the desire to murder? Are gun murders "worse" than other kinds of murder?
Limiting the access to assault rifles would limit the capabilities of homicidal maniacs. Where now they can kill 60 and wound 400 or shoot up an entire chuch and kill 26 paritioners and wound 22 more, maybe they only kill 5 or 6 in 1 go with the ban. Its a macabre calculation, but a lot of people would still have their family sitting with them at Thanksgiving.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Nashville_school_shooting
So, you’re good with Mini-14s?
This same argument is used to kill right to repair. Banning potential crime is always bad.
If everything that could be used to kill someone was made illegal, we wouldn't have very many things.
Good thing nobody is asking for that.
Damn
The legality of something doesn't make it effective.
So
We should make Y illegal and that'll be effective.
You're gonna cry about having to register a firearm too, so why stop there. Just ban it, then compromise on registration at minimum.
I own a handgun, I'm not against them. I am against how easy it is to get them. I bought one at a metro stop for cash, no paperwork, 100% legal in my state.
Who. Fucking. Cares.