We’re simply well past the “you dont need a red dot” timeline considering an affordable red dot is $100

You don't need a red dot. They are nice, they are fun, but you can have a perfectly functional rifle that performs great without them. Some of us may even enjoy shooting ARs without them from time to time.

For the rest of it, let me say as kindly as I can, pull your AR out of your ass and let people enjoy their rifles. Someone wants to run a cheap AR for shits and giggles, let them, don't be the asshole that tries to tell them they have to have x, y, and z to be a "real" AR.

For example, I have an AR with cheap MBUS flip ups, it is a cheap rifle built for the purpose of building a cheap rifle. But it runs, and it does it without a problem. It isn't in a firefight, it will never be in a firefight, but it can do what it needs to whenever I want it to.

So back off the whole "It's only $170" bullshit, stop being the prick no one enjoys being around. Be glad we have a VP elect that has what looks to be a decent rifle. Hope that he uses it for more than photo ops, and if you like something different, that's great, but don't be a dick about other people's setups.

Oh, and you know what's worse than basic MBUS flip ups, but still work, a clamp on grab handle and a flip up. But you can still hit what you aim at if you have skill and aren't dependent on tech to get you there.