By White Rock Resident

I’ve written about this subject before, but last night I noticed something that seemed to support my opinion even more.

Last night I watched The Silence of the Lambs (1991). I’ve seen this movie before but there was something I noticed this time. During the gun scenes, the vast majority of the FBI agents were carrying revolvers. I did see what appeared to be a submachine gun in one scene, and a couple wooden stock bolt action sniper rifles. But I did not see one single AR style rifle.

Granted, this isn’t actual footage, it’s a Hollywood movie, but my point is, back in 1991, just a few years shy of Bill Clinton’s “Assault Weapons” ban, AR-15’s were not all that popular. According to Wikipedia, “In 1963, Colt started selling the semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle as the Colt AR-15 for civilian use”. So they have been available for a long time. Longer than I’ve been alive.

I’ve been shooting since the early 70’s. Got serious in 1988 when I purchased my first Colt 1911 pistol. It became such an enjoyable hobby, there for a while it was gun after gun. But I don’t recall ever seeing an AR-15 at the range prior to around 1992. If I did it didn’t draw my attention. I distinctly remember talk in the early 90’s of an “Assault Weapon” ban that Bill Clinton was proposing. I was an NRA member, so undoubtedly I read about the issue in the American Rifleman magazine. My friend had recently bought an AR-15, and let me shoot it. What a fine rifle it was. So I started saving my money. In 1992 I paid $900 for a very lightly used Colt AR-15 A2 HBAR Sporter. I bought five 30 round magazines, a 1000 rounds of Ammo, a nice case and sling. The sole reason I bought the gun was because of the proposed legislation coming down the pipe. I simply didn’t want to miss my opportunity to get one.

As we know, I wasn’t the only one that did this. A virtual buying frenzy ensued. But something else happened as well. I realized what a fine and versatile rifle it was. I shot it more. More and more of my friends bought them. Pre-ban guns were all over the place. American capitalism did what it does and the market began to see new accessories. Gun manufacturers worked around the ban. The rest is history. It is now the most popular rifle in America. Even the police realized how useful a tool it really is.

While Bill Clinton may not be entirely responsible for the popularity of the AR-15, he sure gave it a lot of advertising. Thank you Bill Clinton. We might never have known.

With regard to recent mass shootings, I will say what I’ve always said: We didn’t have this many mass shootings when I was young. Something in the Country has changed, and it’s not the gun.