Snake,

Lots of airliners have crashed and had survivors. The Hudson River is just a well known one. A quick google brought up 10 or more in the last few years. Good friends were on one in the 70's that no one was lost. Thankfully they were only 2 miles from the airport so they were in the bar soon after.

The AR is an OK hunting rifle and a good defensive one, but if I crash I will be like Russ - loaded with signaling devices. In most of the world (including Viet Nam during the war) many pilots found that weapons were excess baggage if your people could find you. In the US, even with the problems of drug growers and labs, the chance of needing an AR is even more remote than being in a crash. Not that it might not be fun to while away the time till rescue, it would be very low on my priority list YMMV.

Respectfully,

Jerry