Telling the truth about an AR 15 semi automatic rifle

Dear reader:

I must be upfront with you, I am not a gun enthusiast. I was not raised around guns and, except for circumstances involving personal protection, I would rather not have them around me.

That said, I decided to educate myself about rifles in light of the gun rights debate that has intensified since the elementary school shootings in Connecticut last month. Before we sanctimoniously say, "I see no reason to own an AR 15", let's straighten out the facts.

Firstly, the definition of an assault rifle is 'a rapid fire, magazine fed, automatic rifle designed for infantry use.' This does not describe an AR 15.

courtesy of hedgeco.net

A semi automatic rifle,  the AR 15 is the civilian equivalent to the military M16 (a fully automatic rifle) with a huge exception: it cannot fire automatically. Did you know that the AR 15 has been available for civilian purchase since 1963 and that it is the most popular gun used in America today with more than one half of said users claiming they use it for target practice?

Where the M16 can shoot continuously, machine gun style, with only one pull of the trigger,  the AR 15 is capable of only one shot per trigger pull. Many people purchase semi automatic rifles that look like military assault rifles but they are incapable of automatic fire and are actually at the low end of power among rifles. The AR 15 shoots a sporting round .223 Remington, or slightly more powerful .45 MM round. The .223 is used for target shooting, varmint hunting, and occasionally deer hunting. The .223 round is actually less powerful than most deer hunting cartridges. This means that had a more traditional looking hunting rifle been used in the Connecticut school killings, potentially it could have caused even more carnage.

courtesy of bigfivesportinggoods.com

The above pictured rifle has the exact capabilities of an AR 15 yet it looks like the rifle my grandfather owned (or one used by the Calgary in Civil war times). A blog reader posted, "the coward (in Connecticut) could have used a pink semi automatic .223  (like the one pictured above) with fluffy bunnies on the side and caused the same devastation ."  Since I have no problem with my neighbor owing a standard looking rifle (or pistol for that matter), why then would I take issue if she chooses to own an AR 15? 

Some people think the "AR" stands for assault rifle. ArmaLite first built the rifle for the United States Armed Forces. They eventually sold the design to Colt who have registered the trademark name "AR 15."

In the midst of the heated debate about gun rights, it is important to ferret out the truth about guns and not get caught up in the hype the media (and some politicians) attempts to sensationalize. Politicians and those opposing  gun rights are demonizing AR 15 semi automatic rifles, purposely misconstruing facts, to further their political agenda of gun control.

Although I do not foresee a time when I would own an AR 15 rifle,  I am against the government telling me I cannot own one. It worries me when politicians threaten to take away my rights guaranteed by our Constitution. That said, dialogue about how to prevent tragedies like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School is necessary and one can only hope that some solution(s) (like better background checks) can be found.

I'll admit to not being an expert about this subject. Should any of my web based research be incorrect, please tell me because I want the facts, not propaganda.

Ancestry

The older I become, the more I enjoy hearing about family history.

So, when I was handed a handwritten account named the 'Autobiography of Jorgen Andersen Raun, I was anxious to read it.

Jorgen was Ellen's grandfather living in Denmark who, in 1823, married Kjesten. The next year, they welcomed daughter Marie into the family.

One year later, twin daughters were born and in the next month their mother died. She was 26 years, 5 months. Nine weeks later, one of the twins died. The next year, the second twin died. She was 1 year, 12 days.

Jorgen married another Kjesten that year. Twin sons appeared one year later and sadly their mother died in 'her confinement bed'. Her age was 33 years, 8 days. 15 day old Anders died followed by his brother the next year. His age: 1 year, 3 months, 10 days.

In 1827, Jorgen married Ellen Marie. A small son was born later that year.  Ellen Marie died the next year and was 'taken to her resting place on November 22nd'.

Elsebet became Jorgen's wife in 1829. A daughter was born in 1830 only to die in January of 1831. Krestina's age was 9 months, 10 days.

In October of 1831, another daughter was born, named Ellen Marie. She died in 1832.

In 1833, Ellen's father, Hans Raun was born. A new daughter joined the family in 1835 only to die 10 months later on May 30, 1836.

Three more children were born in the next 5 years. They survived infancy and childhood. (One brother died when the boat he was on, bound for America, sunk in the harbor. His suitcase, floating amongst other debris, was retrieved and Ellen remembers her dad telling about a carved animal figurine, retrieved from the suitcase, that became a keepsake of the family's.)

What tragic events - losing 3 wives and seven children in 12 years! I cannot even begin to comprehend personal loss of this magnitude. 

We romanticize the 'olden' days, perhaps dreaming of simpler times. No cell phones or traffic jams or or random drive-by shootings. 

We forget, though, about the hard work; so hard that life expectancy was little more than half of what we experience in our pampered lifetime. 

Famine, scarlet fever, diphtheria, high childbirth mortality, crop failure, poverty with no safety-net government programs, few woman's rights, the list of hardships is long. This was Jorgen's reality.

Hans, Ellen's dad, came to America as a young boy and was married at the age of 15. His wife died giving birth to their third child. Ellen's mom, Amelia,  was hired on as a housekeeper and eventually  married Hans. He and Amelia went on to have 9 more children. Ellen is the last living child of their union.

Scatter joy

Those of us who hoard beautiful crafting paper know the trial that goes along with attempting to keep it organized.  A favorite blogger, iHanna, shared organizational tips she used in her studio and suggested using a rolling open file system. Can I say 'brilliant'?! I think I've found my answer.....