Home Defense Guns – Epilogue

I have been meaning to write my recent series of articles on home defense (HD) guns for quite a while, but I kept putting it off. What sparked me to actually write it was all the misinformation I was hearing in the media following the recent Sandy Hook school shooting.

People who are knowledgeable about guns, tactics, and violent crime know that what's presented in the media on these topics is usually straight propaganda designed to fit a political agenda. People with actual knowledge in these areas are very rarely allowed to speak, and when they are, they are usually mocked, ridiculed, and attacked by hosts who somehow pretend to be “neutral” in the “gun-control debate”.

One of the worst pieces of misinformation I keep hearing is that AR15s “have no legitimate purpose”, or that they “are entirely inappropriate for defense”, or that they “are only good for killing lots of people”, etc., etc., etc....

As I pointed out in my last post, my experience has been that most very highly skilled men appreciate the capabilities of carbines for HD (usually an AR15 variant, but sometimes an AK variant). Many of them choose a handgun for their primary HD gun based on an evaluation of the threats they are likely to encounter, but just about all of them will choose a carbine if/when the threat level reaches a certain threshold. Whenever I encounter a “gun guy” who thinks that carbines aren't appropriate for HD, I usually see someone who has a decent amount of knowledge in certain areas, but who doesn't approach the topic from a training/martial arts perspective.

A properly set up AR15 or AK47 (or AK74) makes an excellent HD weapon if you are capable enough and willing to train enough to develop its potential. In fact, if you are highly skilled, such a carbine is the best HD weapon you can get.

Let me say that again – if you are capable and willing to train enough to develop its potential, a modern semi-automatic carbine is the best HD weapon available in the US. This is not a controversial opinion among men who train extensively.

A recent article by Thomas Sowell with the following quote comes to mind:

“There is innocent ignorance and there is invincible, dogmatic, and self-righteous ignorance. Every tragic mass shooting seems to bring out examples of both among gun-control advocates.”

My hope is that I can address some of that “innocent ignorance”. Yes, many gun-control advocates are ideological enemies of freedom and liberty, but some of them seem to be simply uneducated and unaware of the realities of guns, gun-control, and violent crime. It's damn sure that no one will get reliable information on these topics from any “mainstream” source.

Realize that when the government is talking about banning AR15s (misrepresented as assault weapons), they are not talking about banning some esoteric gun with no useful purpose. They are talking about banning the best defensive weapon available to most Americans.