Why bothside of the gun debate focus on the AR-15

Charles C.W. Cooke at National Review:

Still, while the focus on the AR-15 is distressingly overblown, it is not entirely irrational, for at one level both its critics and its champions are motivated by the same thing. The pro-gun side loves it because it is a commercially available, easy-to-use, well-built “tactical” weapon that looks like a “military style” machine gun; conversely, the other side hates it because it is a commercially available, easy-to-use, well-built “tactical” weapon that looks like a “military style” machine gun. To its fans, it is the emblem of a liberty-obsessed people and a reminder that the citizenry is sovereign and may choose for itself how to manage its defense; to its critics, it is the sign of a liberty-obsessed people, and a reminder that the citizenry is sovereign and may choose for itself how to manage its defense.

He make clear why there is such loathing on the left and loving on the right for the most ubiquitous long gun in the United States