Since the thread title is "The Thread Where we Discuss Guns and Gun Control" I'm going to take the initiative and switch the conversation over to a discussion of guns themselves.
I will start by showing an example of a budget AR-15 purposed for home defense. The parts I'm about to talk about aren't the absolute cheapest you can get, but they are the cheapest you can get without sacrificing too much in the way of quality and reliability.
In terms of the rifle itself, some people will say you can build your own much cheaper than buying a complete rifle. That's true if you are trying to build a high-end AR, but that's not what we are trying to do. So I would recommend buying either the Ruger AR556 or the M&P Sport. Both are quality ARs that you can purchase for relatively cheap. I, personally, chose the Ruger because of the cold hammer forged barrel and Ruger's general reputation for putting out quality products at affordable prices. The MSRP for the AR556 is $799, but you can usually find it for much cheaper. I got mine from my local gun shop for $589 including tax. That's not bad at all for an AR. From what I've seen the M&P Sport goes for about the same price. Both are also carbine length with adjustable stocks, which is perfect for home defense since you'll be navigating tight spaces and hallways.
For an optic, I went with the Sightmark Ultra Shot Plus reflex sight. It's pretty much a discount EOTech, but it gets the job done for a very nice price. An EOTech will run you somewhere between $400 and $500, but the Sightmark only cost $100. There are reflex sights out there for as cheap as $20, but you will see very poor performance out of them. What I like about the Sightmark is that you can switch from a red reticle to a green one, which is better for night fighting, and a home defense situation is likely going to take place at night if it does happen. It also has the different reticles to choose from. Not an essential feature, but it is a nice touch, especially from a budget optic. Where the budget aspect comes in though is the fact that the Sightmark does have some parallax issues that you won't get with an EOTech. However, parallax only really becomes an issue with the Sightmark at loner ranges, and chances are in a home defense situation, you aren't going to be firing at a 300 meter target.
The last two accessories I put on it were a UTG 400 lumens tactical light and a forward grip for better control in tight quarters. The light ran me about $25 and the grip only cost $15. So neither one of those will break the bank.
Oh I almost forgot: I replaced the standard polymer handguard on the rifle with a quad rail handguard so I could mount the light and grip. It's a UTG quad rail but I bought from Ruger for around $70 I think.
So overall, this is, in my opinion, pretty reliable and dependable quality home defense AR-15. And the total cost should come in at around $800 total, which is still cheaper than some ARs out there that you would still have to add accessories to. This setup has everything you need for a close quarters fight and nothing added just to make it look cool.
And for your viewing pleasure here is a picture of my AR with everything I described above:
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