Hey! Those guys are carrying guns. If you don’t know much about guns, you’re probably thinking: “Wow, look at all that scary stuff.” What I find scary is just how cheap and easy it is to get— THREAD https://twitter.com/juliocesrchavez/status/1351005586599653384

Let’s take the 3rd guy in line— he’s holding a Smith&Wesson M&P15 Sport II. It is an AR-style rifle, probably chambered in NATO 5.57. It’s got a 32-round magazine, standard. Man has added a red dot optic. If he’s practiced with it, he shouldn’t miss.

So how easy is it to get?

Price has gone up a little, but it retails near $700. A 32-round magazine goes for $14. A workable optic from Amazon is about $50. Ammo— about $200-$300 for 500 rounds. For about $1,200, arm up pretty easily in Virginia https://www.greentophuntfish.com/smith-wesson-m-p15-sport-ii-semi-automatic-rifle-16-5-56mm-nato/

But what about background checks??? Yeah, they run them, but it takes minutes before you’re out the door.

Now, there are some technical terms above, let’s address those. Ammo— what is 5.56 NATO? It’s the most common rifle ammo calibre or size, standard issue for NATO forces

This bullet is supposed to be able to penetrate 15-20 inches of soft tissue in ideal conditions without fragmenting. Meaning the bullet doesn’t break apart. Do you want the bullet to fragment? It will cause more tissue and organ damage if it does, which brings me to hollow points

Hallow-point bullets are illegal in armed combat, but legal to sell here in the US. These bullets are intended to fragment. The purpose is “stopping power,” which is just a nice way of saying it’s intended to put down the target cold.

Think about all of these things in conjunction. We require people be licensed to drive because of the responsibility that comes with driving a vehicle, and it’s potential to inflict mass casualties. We’ve got “unlicensed” people running around downtown with these things.

The costs aren’t inaccessible— anyone with a credit card could arm themselves a little too well.

Buying a gun is almost as easy as ordering takeout. Maybe it shouldn’t be?