Tacticool ftw!
I remember a while back when SUVs were at the height of their popularity, the common joke was “all these soccer moms in SUVs that will never go off road. It’s such a waste”. Any time there was a story on the vehicle, you would invariably see something to that effect in one of the first 5 comments.
Funny how the past repeats itself.
There is a growing trend in the firearms industry called “Tacticool”. Basically, a person will buy an AR platform, put as many rails on it as it can handle and then slap on every kind of optic, flashlight, laser, pod and miscellaneous tactical accessory that they can get their hands on. Others on the more extreme side, will convert everyday rifles and handguns into tacticool weapons (the tactical lever action from the recent SHOT show comes to mind). This trend has been fueled by the Call of Duty games, airsoft, Hollywood and many other factors. Many people on forums speak of how they “saw this dude with a tacticool rifle at the range that couldn’t hit anything with it” and that “why do they bother? They’re never going to hunt with it/clear a house with it.” Sound familiar?
Frankly, I welcome the Tacticool crowd. The more people shooting, the better off we all are (provided they’re safe about it). I don’t care what got you interested in shooting. If you were “pwning dudes” in Call of Duty and said “man, I want a crazy tricked out rifle like in the game” then went out and bought one, let me be the first to say “welcome to the gun owner’s club!”
As for you guys in the forums, shame on you. Would you be saying the same thing if you saw someone with a Ruger Mark III pistol or a nice Beretta 92 or Glock 17? Probably not. Most people I know would help the person with some pointers. Make it a 5.56 rifle with holographic sights, however, and suddenly it’s “soccer mom with an SUV” all over again. Get over your jealousy.
As for you tacticool shooters, keep on accessorizing and ignore the vocal minority. We need every shooter we can get. Personally, I love seeing some of those tricked out ARs.
*Image used under Creative Commons from U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region.
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