Prelude
I bought my first AR-15 rifle in September of 2012. I paid $1176.00 and got a quality Rock River brand Rifle. In December of 2012 the alleged Sandy Hook Shooting occurred and the Obama administration began working to ban the rifles. I could have sold that rifle for $3,000 but held onto it due to fear of impending bans.
What followed was a several year dry season. In 2013 I was lucky to have bought 2 stripped lowers (R-Guns Brand) $99.00 each. These were lucky finds time-wise and I'm glad I bought them. If the AR-15's had been banned, these stripped lowers would have sold for several times their value. (Since I'm using some gun lingo and specific terminology --- I'll include a short break down below).
Current
Fast forward to 2016. I bought an AR-15 rifle kit around Thanksgiving 2016 as a present to myself for passing my Series 65 exam. That kit sat until 2 weeks ago. I started working on the kit only to find they missed a part...so I bought a spare and finished the kit this week. Total cost for the build was $449.00. Back in 2012 you could barely pick up a rifle for $1000+ when there were threats to ban the AR-15. Part of the reason why costs are currently so low is that firearms manufacturers were utilizing their excess capacity to produce a glut of inventory in preparation for a Democrat-controlled White House. Since that hasn't happened --- there are cheap costs for consumers.
Philosophy
While I joined the Steem community to share in the growth of the Crypto Currency, I think it's important to discuss the importance of diversification. While I'm in the market with my 401(k), I'm also a firm believer in tangible assets. I'm currently looking to acquire about 100 acres of land for a homestead. I'm cashing in my employee stock purchase plan in order to invest in some things which have intrinsic value...this first rifle build is the first step of this journey.
I encourage all of you to make responsible choices with the investments you have. Paper is great sometimes, but as the Joker once said, "Everything burns." Take some of the profits you generate from Crypto Currencies and buy real world investments. There's no reason to make ones investment portfolio market, commodity, currency, or Crypto Currency exclusive.
Terms from Above
AR-15: The "scary" weapon that the Lame Stream Media and oppressive government forces absolutely hate. It's a civilian version in semi automatic of the "rapid-fire" M16/M4 rifle.
Stripped Lower: The ONLY part of the AR-15 rifle that is considered a firearm; this part has the gun's registration or serial number. The trigger is not a gun. The barrel is not a gun. Only the stripped lower receiver is considered the firearm.
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Sandy Hook Shooting: Some folks feel that this event was a hoax/a false-flag attack. There's quite a bit of conflicting evidence about this event, specifically how the Obama Administration used the event to attempt to ban the AR-15 Rifle. (Note: I'm not making a judgment on the Sandy Hook School shooting event --- if children died, that is extremely sad...but if it was a false flag attack, then shame on the government yet again.) This event certainly led to other events which had a tremendous impact on gun prices, objectively speaking. I've included a link below to aid in your research of this topic: