this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2024
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Some days, those who would ~~command~~ ~~govern~~ represent us just make it too easy for, among other things, finding "post fodder."

In the shadow of Michael William Nash's demonstration of his 2^nd^ Amendment rights on Saturday, according to The News

Twelve Michigan House Republicans have sponsored a bill this month to the name the AR-15 "the official rifle of this state," drawing criticism from opponents who labeled the proposal unserious and inappropriate.

For those who don't know, the AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle. Bear that in mind when reading the following.

State Rep. Brian BeGole, R-Antrim Township, a former Shiawassee County sheriff, was the primary backer of the AR-15 measure and said in a statement issued Tuesday that thousands of people in Michigan own an AR-15. […] “This distinction recognizes these law-abiding gun owners who are often vilified just for having a firearm as a hobbyist or to keep their homes and families safe," BeGole said.

That's some hobby. Keep their homes and families safe. Safe from the government BeGole has represented most of his life, according to the oft-debated 2^nd^ Amendment.

However, Ryan Bates, director of End Gun Violence Michigan, said BeGole's bill was about "worshiping the rifle that is the preferred weapon of mass shooters." […] Bates noted that on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on bump stocks, a rapid-fire gun accessory that was used in a mass shooting at a music festival Las Vegas in 2017.

"That shooter used 23 AR-style rifles modified with bump stocks to kill 58 people and injure nearly 500 in mere minutes," Bates said. "We now live in a world where any deranged person can turn an AR-style rifle into a machine gun capable of firing 400-800 rounds per minute, a level of firepower that quite simply overwhelms law enforcement."

We all know that rabbit and pheasant can get pretty mean. And who doesn't like their venison pre-ground? To quote my favorite philosopher and thinker, myself

It’s forever High Noon in this nation of cowboys.

Ah, almost forgot! Use it everyday!

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If you can't see the crazy person on the bus, it's you.
!detroit@midwest.social!michigan@midwest.social!music@midwest.social

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[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 49 points 5 months ago (7 children)

See, that's the kind of idiot that makes gun ownership look bad.

They're tools, not a fetish item. You start being an idiot and trying to make a "state rifle" at all, and you undermine every attempt to actually maintain the right to defense via firearms.

[–] skyspydude1@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Seeing another comment about some other state firearms, I responded with how it's even stupider than I thought.

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[–] Blackout@kbin.run 29 points 5 months ago (27 children)

The AR-15 is an absolutely shitty rifle unless you were going to kill people with it. The selection is also completely oblivious to what most residents use for hunting deer. So these repubs are posers that know shit about guns. As a liberal former deer hunter I'd recommended the .308 Winchester or the 30-06 Springfield. Actual rifles people use in this state for anything but the mass killing of children.

[–] Liz@midwest.social 14 points 5 months ago

Ignoring the confusion between caliber and platform, .556 out of an AR-15 is still a great choice for anything roughly cat-to-human sized. Prairie Dogs, antelope, goats, sheep, foxes, coyotes, that sort of thing.

[–] Fecundpossum@lemmy.world 10 points 5 months ago

See my comment above. 450 bushmaster and 350 legend are both cartridges developed the for AR platform that are lower range, lower velocity, larger bore projectiles meant to limit effective range and still have deer stopping energy.

.223 / 5.56 is illegal to deer hunt with in Michigan because it isn’t a reliable caliber for a kill, and is more likely to wound. Your .308 or .30-06 flies way, way farther in the event of a miss, creating a concern of striking unintended targets far past your line of sight. Which is why it’s illegal to hunt with below the lower peninsula rifle line.

[–] LowtierComputer@lemmy.world 10 points 5 months ago

So I'm terms of popularity, an AR-10?

[–] frezik@midwest.social 7 points 5 months ago (2 children)

AR15 is very popular for wild boar hunting. Not in its original caliber, though. See, one of the advantages of the platform is that it's highly modular, and can put out 6.5 grendal just fine by switching the upper.

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[–] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 19 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The state of Michigan has no historical connection to the AR-15, to my knowledge. Why don't they pick something that is actually native to Michigan like the Johnston Muzzleloader?

[–] todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I mean, the actual answer is that this is just another "trigger the libs" exercise, and they are choosing the AR-15 because it is the favorite of mass-shooters.

They don't want to celebrate guns, obviously, or they would choose something native to Michigan like you say. They want to celebrate whatever the left opposes, even if it means celebrating the weapon of choice for mass murderers.

[–] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 5 months ago

Indeed. I think that my questioning was more rhetorical but explicitly spelling it out can be helpful.

[–] FireTower@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago (2 children)
[–] skyspydude1@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

This just makes it even dumber. Some of these at least have some interesting ties to the state's history. Eugene Stoner isn't even from Michigan, and ArmaLite was based in California and now in Arizona.

If people REALLY gave a shit and just couldn't stand for not having a state firearm, I'd argue the M1 Carbine would be a far better choice given the historical ties to our automotive manufacturing base and its transition to wartime manufacturing, with General Motors being the single largest producer during WWII.

Alternatively, Hi-Point has some manufacting here, so I'd be willing to consider making the Yeet Cannon the official state firearm.

It pretty clearly has nothing to do with any sort of ties to manufacturers or state history though, and is 100% a "tRiGgEr tHe LiBs" move, which makes it incredibly frustrating as someone who is actually interested in firearms for their history and engineering, instead of as an inadequacy compensator.

[–] FireTower@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

M1 isn't a bad pick. I feel like if the list gets filled out more the AR will become like the cardinal is for state birds.

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[–] pelya@lemmy.world 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Go on and put AR-15 on your flag, be like Mozambique with AK-47 on their flag.

[–] raoulraoul@midwest.social 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)
[–] Zehzin@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Books, guns and hoes. Mozambique knows what's up

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[–] HelixDab2@lemm.ee 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Why the AR-15? Why not the FN-FAL, the AR-10, FN F-2000, the L85A2, Steyr AUG, HK G36 or, shit, even the Keltec RBD?

Yeah, the AR-15 is a great carbine and all, but why elevate that particular rifle as a state rifle?

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 3 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Yeah, that's what I was wondering. Was it designed by someone from Michigan or something?

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[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago (23 children)

I'm a gun owner. I have an AR-15. I don't want to hurt anybody, just to be able to defend my home against these very same lunatics. If anybody is going to get guns banned in the USA, it's gonna be these people doing it to themselves by their unsafe, insane, hateful practices endangering everybody else.

[–] Archelon@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Shout out to California’s gun laws only existing because of the Black Panthers.

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Well, only because Republicans, the NRA, and cops were terrified and absolutely beside themselves at the idea of black people arming themselves and organizing for community support and defense.

[–] BleatingZombie@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I'm also concerned why they want to pledge allegiance to a company (Armalite). Is Kansas going to have Coke as their state drink next?

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Wild, ain't it? They don't know how to like something without worshipping it.

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[–] BrokenGlepnir@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

What kind of connection does Michigan even have with the AR15? The only think I can find is the wife of the designer died there decades after he died in Florida. They couldn't name it after a gun that is produced there? Are they are so obsessed with identifiable firearms that they can't give their own designers any spotlight?

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That's what I was thinking, why the AR-15?

[–] Archelon@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

If the reason is something other than “culture war bullshit” I’ll eat an uncooked hot dog.

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[–] hark@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

Republicans claim to detest government waste and then do shit like this.

[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago (6 children)

Why are we letting these backward degenerates have a say in society?

[–] raoulraoul@midwest.social 3 points 5 months ago

Why, that's easy. They were voted into their roles of representation. Not by me, of course. I'm in a different district.

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[–] bradorsomething@ttrpg.network 5 points 5 months ago

Can they make school shootings the official state shooting?

[–] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 4 points 5 months ago

Does that mean the AR-15 is a sanctioned school shooter gun?

[–] Thcdenton@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I guess the CA state rifle is the mini-14 :[

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

The official gun of California is this one

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