"Why do you need an AR15?"

[stanc]

That's a rather weak reason, since there's no tyranny to fight now or in the foreseeable future, and very well may never be.

I wouldn't use the word weak. Remote, improbable, yes.

The reason is weak, precisely because the event is improbable. It'd be much better to have a strong reason to justify having an AR15.

But, I think it's a mistake to try to justify owning an AR15 on the basis of "need," because it can't be done. Nobody needs to have an AR15.

"Why do you need an AR15?" is a loaded question. (No pun intended.) It contains the premise that "need" is the basis for determining whether or not one should be allowed to own something. Once you answer it, you automatically validate that premise. I would advise against attempting to answer the question.

But it's not like it's never happened before.

It's never happened before in this country. Unless you want to count an event like the Whiskey Rebellion, which was put down by the very militia that some here claim exists to fight the government.

The Whiskey Rebellion also offers some insight as to the "need" to have an AR15 to fight a hypothetical tyranny: The "Insurgents" in that event had small arms comparable to those of the military, but it didn't make one iota of difference in the outcome. And today's armed forces have weaponry that overmatch what private citizens possess by several orders of magnitude.

Armed insurrection is illegal, so you're essentially saying you need an AR15 because you plan to engage in criminal activity.

That's exactly what I'm saying.

That seems foolish and counterproductive to me. It supports the anti-gun position that people can't be trusted with firearms.

The idea that you need a gun to fight tyranny -- which you agree is remote and improbable -- makes you sound paranoid, and quite probably unstable, the type of person whom even most gun owners say should be prevented from having firearms.