# The Most Wanted Gun In America **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-wanted-gun-in-america/649254 "2013-02-03T21:15:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 37
**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:** [February 4, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-wanted-gun-in-america/649254/37 "2013-02-04T00:41:04Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > There’s no “implication.” The fact is that the AR-15’s surge in popularity is the result of its use to murder a classroom full of little children, I stand by my point that it is very curious that while the proposed assalt weapons ban would be on a wide range of weapons, the surge in sales is heavily weighted towards AR-15 variants, even, apparently, if one accounts for its previous popularity. A perfectly logical hypothesis for that phenomenon is its increased profile due to the publicity given to the weapon around the Sandy Hook massacre. > > Whether that’s because of the proposed assault weapons ban or not, the weapon is now famous and cmmercially popular in large part for its use in shooting children, even though your personal motive for buying one isn’t to go shoot children. If you don’t like that, well, that’s life. You cannot be serious. There is no “surge in popularity” of AR-15 sales due to Sandyhook. There IS a surge in sales of this popular rifle, which has been popular for a very long time, because many people feel that they should have the right to own one and that the US government is about to attempt to ban them. The Sandyhook massacre was just the catalyst for the government to feel like it “has to do SOMETHING”. Do you really, honestly believe that people are buying it because they think it’d make a great weapon to murder kids with? Are you out of your freaking mind? Don’t let the rarity of massacres, school shootings and the fact that this (and any other rifle) are used in such a ridiculously small percentage of shootings get in your way. And no, the AR-15 in a close-range shooting like Sandyhook is NOT more effective than a well-supplied guy with a couple semi-auto pistols would be. The AR-15 is getting a bad rap here and it’s plainly obvious. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-wanted-gun-in-america/649254)._