I'd like to answer that question with another question: what legitimate reason is there for a civilian to own this rifle:
If you answered target or competition shooting, hunting, home defense, for use as a ranch gun (i.e., a rifle that one keeps around a ranch to ward off critters such as coyotes), or really any other reason that you deem legitimate, then congratulations! You also just named a legitimate reason for a civilian to own this:
Why? The Ruger Mini-14, the wood-stocked rifle in the first picture, shoots exactly the same round as the AR-15 in the second picture and, like the AR-15, is semi-automatic (meaning that you need to pull the trigger each time you fire a round; not to be confused with fully automatic, where rounds are continuously fired as long as you hold down the trigger). There are, of course, mechanical and design differences in how the internals of the two rifles actually work, but ultimately, they both spit the same ammunition out of the business end in the same manner. The AR-15 is just blacker and, to some, scarier looking.
As expected, the media, politicians, and the internet are busy spouting off all sorts of misinformation about the AR-15. Among the things I've heard or read so far, with reasons why the assertions are bogus in parentheses:
- The AR-15 is an "assault rifle" (it's not; although there is no hard and fast definition of an assault rifle, the concept generally requires a rifle capable of fully automatic fire. Also note that the "AR" in the name comes from the phrase "ArmaLite Rifle," which is what ArmaLite - the company that first built the rifle - uses to designate its products; it does not stand for "assault rifle." Alternately, an "assault rifle" is simply a rifle used to assault someone, in which case even a 200 year old muzzle loader can be an assault rifle)
- The AR-15 is an "assault weapon" (an "assault weapon" is a legal fiction that has no meaning outside of a specific law defining the term. In CA, some AR-15 variations are in fact "assault weapons" by law, but the distinction is arbitrarily based on the appearance of the rifle, not the way it functions as compared to other firearms)
- The AR-15 carries a more lethal payload than a hunting rifle (the AR-15 fires a .223 caliber round, whereas most big game hunting rifles utilize larger caliber and more deadly ammunition, such as the .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester, and 30-06 Springfield. In the below, for example, .223 Remington is #8, whereas .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester, and 30-06 Springfield are #10, 13, 14, and 15, respectively)
- The AR-15 fires farther and more accurately than a hunting rifle (accuracy over long distances is largely tied to the size of the round fired, because the extra weight of a larger round stabilizes the trajectory for a longer distance; because the AR-15 fires a smaller round than many hunting rifles, as noted above, it loses its accuracy more quickly over distance)
- The AR-15 is unsuitable for hunting (given the previous two misconceptions about lethality and accuracy, I'd have expected the AR-15 to be touted as the hunting rifle of all hunting rifles - after all, if you're hunting, wouldn't you want a rifle that is more lethal and more accurate over long distances? In truth, the AR-15 is unsuited for taking big game, because its ammunition does not reliably kill and bring down larger animals such as deer. The AR-15 and its .223 caliber round, however, are gaining popularity for hunting smaller game, such as wild pigs or, as mentioned above in the context of the Mini-14, "varmints" like coyotes)
- The AR-15 fires more rounds without reload (while it may be true that after-market large capacity magazines are more prevalent for AR pattern firearms, any firearm capable of accepting a magazine - including magazine-fed hunting rifles and magazine-fed handguns - can fire as many rounds without reload as the magazine permits; there is nothing special about the AR-15 in this regard)
- The AR-15 is not suited for home defense (on what basis is this assertion made? Someone please tell that to this young man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-q2zHIovOE&feature=player_embedded#! )
- The AR-15 is a military weapon that should not be in civilian hands (Putting aside the minor nitpick that the military does not use the AR-15, because all of its rifles are selective fire and the AR is semi-automatic only, I'm sure this is also what King George III and his generals felt about the flintlock muskets owned by civilians at the time of the American Revolution; like the AR pattern rifles today, flintlock muskets were the standard infantry weapon issued to military servicemen at the time)
- Anyone buying an AR-15 intends to use it on people (the AR-15 is one of the most commonly owned firearms in the country; I highly doubt that all of those folks, or even anything larger than an infinitesimally small fraction of them, have diabolical intentions of turning them on their fellow human beings.)
At this point, you're probably wondering, if the AR-15 is nothing special, then why is it one of the most commonly owned firearm platforms in the country? The AR-15 does have advantages that make it a hot seller, but by and large, those advantages have nothing to do with whether or not it's more useful to an aspiring mass murderer. For example:
- The platform is highly modular, allowing individual owners to customize and adjust their AR-15s to suit their particular needs. Need a better barrel for competition shooting? Swap out the barrel for an aftermarket part, or swap out the entire upper receiver assembly (which includes the barrel). Need a shorter stock for a shooter with shorter arms? Swap out the stock for a smaller one, or if you've got an AR-15 with an adjustable stock, adjust it.
- After-market parts are abundant, largely because of the aforementioned modularity; it's easy for accessory-makers to design and manufacture replacement parts.
- Relative to many other rifle designs, the AR-15 is easy to disassemble and maintain. In fact, many AR-15 owners assemble their ARs from scratch using a stripped lower receiver and parts kits.
- A KISS (keep it simple, stupid) AR-15 build can be had on a relatively low budget.
So what is the answer to avoiding future tragedies like the one in Colorado? I don't know; if I did, I could probably convince the public to appoint me ruler for life of the country on the basis of my policy-making prowess. What's clear to me, though, is that attacking the weapon used is just knocking down a straw man.
