As of yesterday, New York’s SAFE Act required New York residents to register any firearm that the state has deemed to be an “assault weapon.”
But what really is an “assault weapon?” According to members of the New York legislature, standard AR-15 rifles seem to embody this arbitrary, politicized term.
After all, in New York, “assault weapons” are “evil” arms, a reason for limousine liberals to deride our founders for not having foresight regarding the power of modern weapons while they where crafting the Second Amendment.
But is that really what the AR-15 is? Or is it an endlessly customizable platform that, because of its modularity, will be almost impossible for the government to ban in all of its forms?
Let’s take a look at some of the more politically correct AR-15 platforms on the market today:
Pump-Action AR-15
Troy Industries introduced a pump-action AR-style rifle this year at SHOT Show this year specifically designed for countries and domestic locales unfriendly to semi-automatic rifles.
Ironically, by virtue of not being semi-automatic, when this gun is paired with a suppressor and subsonic ammunition, it has the potential to be the quietest AR-15 style rifle on the market. As a result, it’s likely to be popular with varmint hunters who would like to remain particularly stealthy.
The firearm has a collapsible, folding stock and a pistol grip. Because the gun isn’t semi-automatic, these features are legal in New York.
Crossbow AR-15
Not even a firearm! With Precision Shooting Equipment (PSE) TAC-15 upper receiver and a standard AR-15, all you have to do to turn your big bad assault rifle into a crossbow is to pop a few pins and swap out the upper receivers.
While this may look closer to something you’d find at the dawn of our nation than a standard AR-15, this isn’t your average crossbow. Fairly standard hunting crossbows deliver about 80 ft-lbs of kinetic energy, while this bow delivers 425gr arrows at about 80 ft-lbs of kinetic energy, making this among the most powerful crossbows in the world.
Muzzleloader AR-15
Are tactical assault crossbows a little too medieval for you? At the very least, here is your answer to the charge that the AR-15 isn’t the modern musket.
Like the TAC-15, CMMG’s muzzleloading AR-15 upper receiver slips on to a standard lower receiver with the push of a few pins. The gun fires a .50 caliber bullet using a modified 5.56mmx45mm case fit with a shotgun primer to ignite black powder loaded down the barrel. The sling contains a ramrod used to load the gun.
This high-powered rifle can take just about any game in America, even bears, and is particularly useful to those who cannot wait until rifle season to bring their AR-15 into the field.
Just have fun explaining it to the local game warden!
AR-15 Air Rifle
Despite being an air rifle, this gun is no joke. Sporting a free-floating Lothal Walther barrel, this conversion turns your AR-15 into an air rifle that meets National Match Air Rifle competition requirements and can fire up to 120 shots before needing to be refilled with compressed air.
The air rile features removable 10-round magazines and a Picatinny rail system for adding optical sights. Like the muzzleloader and crossbow, the Crossman MAR177 upper receiver attaches to a standard AR-15 lower with the push of a few pins.
Although retailing for between $600 and $700, this conversion gives owners the ability practice with their actual AR-15 with ammo at a fraction of the cost of centerfire rounds. With 5.56mmx45mm going for around $.50 a round and .177 pellets going for about $.02 per round, the savings allow the gun to quickly pay for itself.
The New York Compliant AR-15
Sure, it looks like something out of a science fiction flick, but at the end of the day, this Black Rain Ordinance rifle is your good old AR-15 with a few cosmetic changes.
The pistol grip has been replaced with a stock originally designed for California-compliant AR-15s, while a standard, threaded barrel sporting a flash hider has been replaced with a match-grade barrel.
It may look weird, but at its core, this gun is exactly the same as AR-15s used all over the world.
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