It’s unfortunate that before the deceased victims had been removed from the horrific scene at the Orlando night club, the president spoke to the nation and tried to divert attention from terrorism to gun control.
“Never let a serious crisis go to waste” is a catch phrase in the halls of the West Wing. The country should have a debate on the issue of guns, such as who should have access. The discussion should be intellectually honest – a trait the anti-gun proponents do not share.
The AR-15 is not an “assault rifle,” a term coined by the no-gun crowd. AR stands for Armalite, the first company to develop the civilian version of the M-16 used by our military. The M-16 and the carbine M-4 are select fire weapons that can toggle between automatic fire (one trigger pull, multiple fire) and semi-automatic (one pull, one round).
The AR-15 is a semi-auto rifle. Semi-auto rifles have been in the hands of civilians for over a hundred years. The AR-15 is not a “weapon of war.” While it shares similar appearance with its military counterpart, it is not fully automatic.
It is the most popular rifle sold in the U.S. today because it is reliable, lightweight unlike wood, adjustable for use by different size persons and adaptable for optics use or iron sights. It is today’s sporting rifle.
Let’s have an honest debate about guns but dispense with the hyperbole.
LARRY MELANSON
Webster