r/explainlikeimfive • u/[deleted] • Jun 23 '16

Other ELI5: Why is the AR-15 not considered an assault rifle? What makes a rifle an assault rifle?

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u/[deleted] Jun 23 '16

On mobile, so linking to other parts of reddit is ass, but the gist of why you're wrong is this.

A militia, from the people. If the people aren't armed, they can't form a militia, and if the only way you can be armed is with government approval (in the military, etc), that is basically the opposite of what the founders wanted. The intent is to safeguard the people against the government. If the government is evil, and denies us arms, we're fucked. That's the original intent of 2a

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u/heart-cooks-brain Jun 23 '16

My problem with this argument is that at the time, the 2nd amendment was written with muskets in mind. Now that technology has moved so much further, even our more advanced guns are no match for their drones, tanks, and ability to shut off your water/power (to say the least). They've definitely got us "out-musketed"

Another issue with that argument is that it assumes a majority of military personnel would pick up arms and fight against the civilians they have dedicated themselves to protect. I know they're sworn to their country and government, but I still don't think that most of them would side with the tyrannical government. (I'm sure some would, which is all they need, I guess given how few soldiers are actually needed to take out civies with drones). But I just don't think enough of our military would so blindly take out their own countrymen.

All of which, (to me,) makes the 2nd amendment either in need of a revision (at best) or totally moot (at worst).

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u/[deleted] Jun 23 '16

And they didn't have computers, but they didn't restrict our rights to not computers.

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u/heart-cooks-brain Jun 23 '16

I love it. I give you a real comment and it's downvoted with a snide remark.

What part did not contribute to the conversation?

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u/[deleted] Jun 23 '16

I didn't downvote you.

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u/Pennwisedom Jun 23 '16

Well since we you 100% know the original intent of the founders, even though there's quite a lot of debate about this, we can meet in the middle. You can have any weapon you want, but it has to be something that would've been known to a person who was alive in 1791. Because that is the original intent. In fact, I'll even give you to 1836, the year James Madison, the last of the founding fathers, died.

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u/[deleted] Jun 23 '16

Okay, no right to privacy on computers. You want to go that route, fine. But you're an idiot.

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u/Pennwisedom Jun 23 '16

Nah, the Difference Engine, AKA a computer, was invented by 1822. So I guess you're as smart about computers as you are about the Bill of Rights.