Quite the contrary!atxgun wrote:If you could cite the evidence on the .223's penetrating less than 9mmm along with the evidence of non prosecuted ar-15 home defense, I'd love to read it. Don't get me wrong, I'm a proud owner but I find the former claim hard to swallow, considering factory rounds are used in both cases. I could believe the latter and frankly would just like to read about it.G.C.Montgomery wrote: On the issue of a shotgun being "more effective and safer for the neighbors"...That's debatable. There is no denying the psychological effects of hearing a Remington 870 chamber a round. Everyone knows that sound. The flipside is, shotguns have limited ammunition capacity, are slow to reload, and the recovery time between shots is typically longer when compared to an AR15. We also have evidence to suggest that some .223/5.56mm ammunition, even when fired from a 16-inch barrel, actually offers less penetration than many 9mm rounds fired from handguns. In fact, this was the very argument many LE agencies used to support their ongoing movement away from shotguns to patrol carbines.
And finally, in the OPs question about legal issues: Many police agencies now carry AR15's in their patrol cars. We also have a few scattered incidents of people legally defending their homes with AR15's. Some weren't so bright on tactics and at least one sprayed half the neighborhood in the process. Still, none that I know of were prosecuted. So there is evidence to suggest that AR15's are becoming a "commonly used" firearm for self-defense. Given all these factors, it's REALLY hard for me to imagine that platform presenting a legal issue. I think this is especially true given the recent SCOTUS ruling in the Heller case.
I imagine you won't disagree that most real world self/home defense gun fights last a matter of seconds with less than half a dozen rounds being exchanged from both sides combined. Given that I don't think the need to quickly reload is much of a factor if you're planning for that type of situation. My Mossberg 590 holds 8+1 and that's what I keep under my bed while my AR sits unloaded in the closet. Living in an apt, I feel the shotgun is the best option for optimal defense with minimal probability of undesired consequences.
I know this guys stuff isn't "Scientific" but its real world application and seeing the results 1st hand (thru pics) is quite good enough to make me a believer or at least give me an idea of what guns/bullets are capable of penetrating
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot1.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Even the .22 is capable of penetrating 3 layers of walls...thats 2 rooms over, most pistol and rifle bullets went thru 12 sheets of sheetrock (aka 6 walls) and kept on going
Even 00 buck 2 3/4" penetrated 3 walls!
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.theboxotruth.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to see what real world ammo can do...you can even see penetration test on cars (fyi a car is NOT cover!!)
http://www.theboxotruth.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;