# I pit the current AR-15 market **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 29, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445 "2012-12-29T00:58:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/21 "2012-12-29T04:34:13Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > THAT’S RIGHT! Guns are good! Guns don’t kill people, people kill people WITH GUNS! But GUNS ARE GOOD! Yeah guns! I’m masturbating like a mother fuck over my guns! GUNS! GUNS! GUNS! Congratulations! That is without a doubt the single most dickish thing I have EVER heard somebody say to a police officer. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/22 "2012-12-29T04:37:05Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I never understand the idea of bragging about how much something you own and have zero interest in selling has increased in value. > > It’s like the people whining that the value of their house went down during the last decade and when I ask if they’re looking to sell, they say “oh no, we’ll live here forever”. Really? Then why the fuck are you worried about a short term drop in the valuation of your house? Likewise if the price of it goes up. So what? Are you going to sell because the value of your house went up 10% this year? No? > > So likewise if you have a gun you intend to own forever, why the fuck do you care what the market price of that gun is? _You’re not going to sell it_, therefore the price means fuck-all nothing. Yeah, that is a wierd attitude. I guess people like knowing that something they own is theoretically worth a lot of money (even though it’s actual dollar value is zero, because it’s not for sale). ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/23 "2012-12-29T04:41:44Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Do whatever you want. My guns, the guns that I own, have never killed anybody. Or, for that matter, anything. A piece of plastic and metal that looks just like the one used by a psycho to kill a bunch of people? Not my problem. I assume no guilt for the actions of others. I am not pitting AR-15s. Any hypothetical AR-15 you might own has no connection to the one that was just used to kill a bunch of kids, save one. The market. The market for AR-15s that you just bemoaned and that I am now pitting. You can pretend prices just doubled due to emotionless market forces, but I cannot. Prices just doubled because an AR-15 was recently used to kill a bunch of kids, and the market is reacting to that event. Rejoicing or bemoaning this fact is in poor taste. I hope you realize that and just can’t help being a gun-rights robot. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/24 "2012-12-29T04:54:23Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > You can pretend prices just doubled due to emotionless market forces, but I cannot. Prices just doubled because an AR-15 was recently used to kill a bunch of kids, and the market is reacting to that event. Not quite. The market is reacting to the possibility of a ban. If no one was talking about banning “assault weapons,” there wouldn’t have been a run on AR-15s. People are buying one now (even if they’re not entirely sure they want one) because they are afraid they won’t be able to buy one later. (And of course some folks are buying in the expectation of future profit if a new Assault Weapons Ban passes. Such is human nature.) ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/25 "2012-12-29T04:54:35Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > I am not pitting AR-15s. Any hypothetical AR-15 you might own has no connection to the one that was just used to kill a bunch of kids, save one. The market. The market for AR-15s that you just bemoaned and that I am now pitting. You can pretend prices just doubled due to emotionless market forces, but I cannot. Prices just doubled because an AR-15 was recently used to kill a bunch of kids, and the market is reacting to that event. Rejoicing or bemoaning this fact is in poor taste. I hope you realize that and just can’t help being a gun-rights robot. No, the price doubled because people are now actively plotting to ban them, and people are trying to get them before they go away. Let’s assume the ban passes. Starting right now, people have a flexible, uncertain but finite amount of time to get one for themselves. It only tangentially has to do with the fact that a bunch of kids got killed. I had always planned to get one, now may be my last chance. Other people have their reasons. But the reality is that they are, in fact, emotionless market forces. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/26 "2012-12-29T05:00:00Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > The market for AR-15s that you just bemoaned and that I am now pitting. You can pretend prices just doubled due to emotionless market forces, but I cannot. Prices just doubled because an AR-15 was recently used to kill a bunch of kids, and the market is reacting to that event. Rejoicing or bemoaning this fact is in poor taste. I hope you realize that and just can’t help being a gun-rights robot. What are you suggesting? That prospective gun owners see the Newtown shooting as a product demonstration _par excellence_ for the AR-15, and they’re gleefully snapping them up because, gosh, look at how terrific they are for killing kids? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/27 "2012-12-29T05:00:33Z")
It’s a pretty fucking small tangent, as far as I’m concerned. Nobody was talking seriously about a ban 15 days ago. I guess if you’re OK with only being a tangential asshole, go ahead and brag about how much your AR is worth on Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/28 "2012-12-29T05:02:46Z")
> [@Stealth\_Potato](#): > > What are you suggesting? That prospective gun owners see the Newtown shooting as a product demonstration _par excellence_ for the AR-15, and they’re gleefully snapping them up because, gosh, look at how terrific they are for killing kids? :dubious: No, that’s not what I’m suggesting. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/29 "2012-12-29T05:25:44Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Do whatever you want. My guns, the guns that I own, have never killed anybody. Or, for that matter, anything. A piece of plastic and metal that looks just like the one used by a psycho to kill a bunch of people? Not my problem. I assume no guilt for the actions of others. I’m sure every other gun owner is certain he or she will never have any sort of incident happen with their guns. I’m sure each and every one is certain that they are just constitutionally different than all the others who do end up with guns that kill someone. Just like the guy in that gun safety demonstration who shoots himself in the foot or the eddie the eagle nra certified gun safety kid who killed his friend by screwing around or the guy who shot his kid by accident while buckling him in. Every gun owner is 100% safe up until they aren’t. And yes, you do bear responsibility for that. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/30 "2012-12-29T05:34:13Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > No, that’s not what I’m suggesting. Then what are you pitting? Of course prices are going to go up – AR-15s have always been popular rifles, but the political reaction to the recent shooting has created the possibility of an impending period of infinite scarcity. That _is_ just market forces at work. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/31 "2012-12-29T07:04:23Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > I guess I read in the early Sandy Hook coverage that the shooter had used 2 small handguns. I then put aside my usual morbid curiosity about school shootings and stopped reading any news about it because I have a daughter the same age as many of the victims. Hm. So, does she like Indian food? Not that any fruit of **your** loins would be even mariginally worth the price of a papadom, you worthless, slimy piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/32 "2012-12-29T07:32:23Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Do you know any hunters who carry the AR-15 and if so, what are they hunting? Because I don’t (deer mostly, some boar hunters - everything else down here is birds). > > Edited to add: That’s a serious question. I am really curious about your epxeriences. I’ve have _always_ heard that the AR makes a lousy game weapon. From guys I trust to know their game weapons. Your guys are either clueless or worshipers of [Jim Zumbo](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/23/AR2007022301709.html). I took a 600 lb cow elk in October rifle season with an AR chambered in .308. I hunt coyotes every weekend around here with a .223 chambered AR. I have dropped about two dozen wild boars and havalinas with the same gun. They are an ergonomic rifle that is lightweight, manageable recoil, quick follow up shots, and easy to field strip and clean. They can take any number of optics and can be modified about a million ways to Sunday. Given the multiple calibers it can be chambered for, it is hard to find a better hunting rifle. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/33 "2012-12-29T08:35:19Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I’m sure every other gun owner is certain he or she will never have any sort of incident happen with their guns. I have no doubt Nancy Lanza probably expressed similar ideas at some point in her lifetime, what with being a gun enthusiast. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/34 "2012-12-29T11:19:53Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I’m sure every other gun owner is certain he or she will never have any sort of incident happen with their guns. I’m sure each and every one is certain that they are just constitutionally different than all the others who do end up with guns that kill someone. Just like the guy in that gun safety demonstration who shoots himself in the foot or the eddie the eagle nra certified gun safety kid who killed his friend by screwing around or the guy who shot his kid by accident while buckling him in. > > Every gun owner is 100% safe up until they aren’t. > > And yes, you do bear responsibility for that. I guess I should just throw my hands up into the air and turn myself in for the crimes my son almost certainly won’t commit right now, then. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/35 "2012-12-29T11:23:25Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I guess I should just throw my hands up into the air and turn myself in for the crimes my son almost certainly won’t commit right now, then. I bet my dad never once suspected that my brother would borrow a gun for suicide. Maybe my brother would have done it anyways. I don’t think my dad blamed himself more than usual in such a case, but he clearly thought it was one of the worst things he’d ever been through. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/36 "2012-12-29T12:19:04Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Do you know any hunters who carry the AR-15 and if so, what are they hunting? Because I don’t (deer mostly, some boar hunters - everything else down here is birds). > > Edited to add: That’s a serious question. I am really curious about your epxeriences. I’ve have _always_ heard that the AR makes a lousy game weapon. From guys I trust to know their game weapons. I know a couple of guys that use it. It’s a “good” hunting weapon sans scope in the sense that it makes it more challenging to use than a scoped rifle of another sort. Much like in my state of Indiana, you can only use bows and arrows or shotguns firing a slug to hunt deer. It’s more “sporting” because it’s more difficult to cull a deer with it. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/37 "2012-12-29T12:31:21Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Hm. So, does she like Indian food? Not that any fruit of **your** loins would be even mariginally worth the price of a papadom, you worthless, slimy piece of shit. 😕 Was there a point to this besides the last 6 words? ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/38 "2012-12-29T13:44:06Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > And yes, you do bear responsibility for that. I can’t, in good conscience, claim that gun rights advocates are responsible for the deaths of children. In doing so, I’d take on the responsibility for every overdose in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/39 "2012-12-29T14:41:59Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > Congratulations! That is without a doubt the single most dickish thing I have EVER heard somebody say to a police officer. :rolleyes: How the hell am I supposed to know he’s a police officer? I was reacting to the fact that he feels free to espouse strong (and incorrect) opinions on the subject because he has failed to educate himself. It’s not a new revelation that an AR15 was used. It’s been known for quite some time. I jumped to the conclusion that his ignorance was either deliberate or CT-driven because he was a gun nut. My own sister is an LEO and I know lots of them. Many of them _are_ gun nuts. They don’t get a pass just cause they’re cops. Or maybe I should have asked your profession first before replying to. Wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings if you’re a nurse or something. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445/40 "2012-12-29T15:02:33Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > The weapon that I will eventually be purchasing will never kill a bunch of kids… You really don’t know that for certain. I’m quite sure you’ll never use it for an illegal purpose, but that rifle will likely outlast your mortal existence. Then what? What if your house is burglarized, or your car when it’s in the trunk? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-current-ar-15-market/645445.md?page=3)