Because that’s all I have seen them used for

Your unfamiliarity with a subject doesn’t dictate its definition.

The AR-15 and machine guns are fundamentally different types of firearms in terms of design, function, and legal classification. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences:

1. Firing Mechanism:

• AR-15: The AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle, meaning it fires one round per trigger pull. After each shot, the rifle automatically loads the next round into the chamber, but the trigger must be released and pulled again for another shot to be fired.

• Machine Gun: A machine gun is fully automatic, meaning it can fire continuously as long as the trigger is held down. It will keep firing until the trigger is released or the ammunition is depleted. Machine guns are capable of sustained rapid fire, often at rates of several hundred rounds per minute.

2. Legal Status:

• AR-15: In the U.S., the AR-15 is classified as a civilian firearm and is legal to own in most states, subject to local laws and regulations. Because it is semi-automatic, it does not fall under the same strict regulations as fully automatic firearms.

• Machine Gun: Fully automatic machine guns are heavily regulated in the U.S. under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 and the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986. Under current law, civilians can only legally own machine guns made before 1986, and the process requires extensive background checks, registration, and tax payments.

3. Intended Use:

• AR-15: The AR-15 is often used by civilians for purposes such as sport shooting, hunting, and home defense. Its modular design allows for customization with different accessories like scopes, stocks, and grips.

• Machine Gun: Machine guns are primarily intended for military or law enforcement use due to their ability to provide suppressive fire and high rates of fire. They are rarely, if ever, used by civilians in legal activities due to their full-auto nature and high ammunition consumption.

4. Physical Design:

• AR-15: The AR-15 looks similar to military rifles like the M16 and M4, but it lacks the full-auto or burst-fire capabilities. It typically fires smaller cartridges like the .223 Remington or 5.56x45mm NATO.

• Machine Gun: Machine guns can vary in size, from light machine guns (LMGs) that are carried by infantry, to heavy machine guns mounted on vehicles or tripods. They are designed to fire continuously with belts of ammunition or large magazines, often with barrel cooling systems to prevent overheating.

Summary:

• AR-15: A semi-automatic civilian rifle that fires one shot per trigger pull.

• Machine Gun: A fully automatic firearm that fires continuously while the trigger is held down and is heavily regulated for civilian ownership.

In conclusion, the AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle popular among civilians, whereas a machine gun is a fully automatic firearm, typically used in military contexts, with significant legal restrictions for civilian use.

It does not.

To my knowledge Walmart doesn’t sell AR-15’s. They don’t sell guns at all where I live, but apparently they might sell shotguns in other parts of the country. As far as your first question goes, that’s not relevant to if it’s a machine gun or not, which it is not.

It is nice. It’s been a welcome change from my hometown. They also have neon flags on sticks at most crosswalks. You grab one from the bucket, wave it around while crossing, and drop it in the bucket on the other side when you’re finished. I always grab a few if I notice the other side of the street doesn’t have any. Those flags would have all been stolen on day one in my hometown.

Your comment made me think of that scene from The Matrix. Idk if that was intentional or not, but I liked it enough to ask an AI to make the image above.

Some of my favorite music, and a shit-ton of eBooks.

Ah, it’s too bad you didn’t get to see more of SF. The city itself is neat because it’s built on top of landfill, has tons of hills, good public transportation, and embraces weirdness. The areas surrounding the city are the real gem though. The view from the top of Twin Peaks where you can see the whole bay, the land across the golden gate, all of SF, and the Pacific Ocean, is stunning enough that it caused the Brit who was with me to declare that it’s enough to make one believe in God.

Man, I miss Fry’s! I was fortunate enough to visit that L.A. Fry’s in its heyday too! That place was heaven for a computer nerd such as myself. I was so stoked when we moved to the Seattle area and discovered there was a Fry’s in Renton (near Seattle). Both my wife and I were extremely bummed when covid killed Fry’s. They were already in decline, but covid really finished them off.

Anyways, the USA definitely has some beautiful and amazing places. I’ve only been to B.C. and Victoria in Canada, but I love it there too. I always feel like we’re so crass and aggressive whenever I come back across the border from a Canada trip. You guys are all so friendly up there, and I love it. It’s a beautiful country too.

We’re not neighbors with 43 countries, so we don’t have as much immediate exposure to everything going on around those countries. For one, because it’s not going on around us, like it is for you. That said, I thought I had you with the Prime Minister comment. Of course it’s Boris Johnson. Doh! It seems you’ve had 4 prime ministers in 2 years? What’s going on with that? Like I said, we don’t really get exposure to what is happening over there, so unless we specifically go looking for it, I guess we’re out of the loop. We know what’s going on in Mexico and Canada though.

Drinking and driving is legal, as long as you’re under the limit. Well, some places have laws against open containers, but usually not the places with drive through liquor stores.

Amusement parks tend to bring some pretty hefty people off the couches. The Hollywood Hills are usually pretty healthy. What did you think of SF and L.A.? SF used to be my favorite city in the world. That was twenty years ago though. I’ve heard that it is in serious decline now. Some parts of Hollywood can be cool to visit, but L.A. in general is completely overwhelming to me. I want to get the fuck out after 2-3 days. To be fair to L.A., I have the same reaction to NYC. I think they’re really neat and amazing for a day or two and then I just want to escape and get away from the oppressive concrete jungle.

Walgreens and I think Rite Aid stopped selling alcohol several years back. Idk why they stopped. Maybe they heard that you thought it was weird.

An AR-15 is a semi-automatic sporting rifle. A machine gun is something like an M249 SAW or an M60, and not available to most people. You can get a permit from the ATF, but from start to finish the gun will cost you around $60,000.

save for enthusiasm, jaywalking

Nope! Almost no jaywalking in the Seattle area. It was a culture shock to me. Everyone uses crosswalks, and cars will come to screeching halt on a major road if you’re standing anywhere near a crosswalk as they drive by. I guess it’s probably because you can’t see shit once winter rolls around, so it’s better to be safe than dead.

Central California has tons of fat people, especially at places like Walmart. They all seem to congregate there. But then places like Huntington Beach, San Diego, and San Francisco, have almost no fat people. I think the better the socioeconomic situation is, and the more accessible walking is, the less likely people are to be overweight in an area.

I’ve had those! They are pretty tasty as a rare treat. Ironically, I used to treat myself to a Payday candy bar every payday when I was in my early twenties. That was my big splurge for the week, a Payday, a small bag of jerky, and a 32 oz Gatorade. Then it was back to bagged lunches, beans and rice for the rest of the week to make ends meet.

As an American who has only eaten bread in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, I can’t really relate. I always buy the breads with the least sugar in them, and that’s good for my pallet, but I haven’t been to Europe yet - unfortunately - so I can’t compare. I do agree with you though that sugar usage is excessive here, which leads to me being meticulous about reading nutrition labels for both myself and my dog.

Have you tried whole grain breads from brands like Dave’s Bread? Those don’t seem sweet to me. That said, my friend who grew up here and then moved to Europe told me that our sandwich bread would be considered cake in Europe.

I bought a pair of Ariat western style work boots last winter exactly for this situation. I didn’t want to track all the water and pine needles all over my floor, but I was sick and tired of spending 1.5 minutes lacing up my work boots every time I went outside. It’s still a little bit of a pain, but much better than floozie shoes while doing manual labor, or dealing with boot laces a dozen times in a work session.

Here’s what is crazy to me. It’s cheap to buy a Payday candy bar which is peanuts and a shitload of sugar. But if you want an equivalent number of peanuts in a small bag without the sugar, it costs 3x more.

EZ, don’t eat processed food, and don’t go to fast food restaurants. Don’t give a restaurant that uses excessive sugar a repeat visit.