The Unnatural Rifle

Dr. David Yamane has a new video out where he talks about the flaws in a new book on the AR-15. Give it watch right now…

For awhile now, I’ve had a half-formed idea rattling around inside the copious amounts of empty space inside my head that one of the reasons why the AR-15 in particular is anathema to a certain element of society is it’s “unnatural,” industrial appearance. Rousseau’s ideas of the unspoiled primitive man are an essential part of post-60’s liberalism, and the AR-15, with it’s 100% manufactured appearance and industrial simplicity, upsets people who think that “natural” is better. A Ruger Mini-14 or a .30 Cal M1 carbine are functionally identical to an AR-15, but seem more “natural” and less threatening because they have wood stocks. An AR, though, is a clearly a product of industrial man, and therefore against the laws of nature. As such, it is doubly abhorrent to certain segments of society. Never mind that the round shot out of your grandfather’s Garand was even more powerful than the “high-powered” AR-15, or that semi-automatic, medium-caliber rifles with removable magazines have been around since the days of Teddy Roosevelt, the AR-15 is somehow worse than all of those. I just don’t understand that, but then again, I have a hard time understanding any sort of superstition.