AR-15 semi-automatic is not a ‘weapon of war’

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Recently I received an email from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., concerning the shooting in Uvalde, Texas. She referred to the “fourth grade kids who were murdered by weapons of war.”

First, the weapons did not commit the murders. The weapons were the means chosen by the murderer. Second, the two guns he used were not weapons of war. The rifle he used, commonly referred to as an AR-15, is not an assault rifle. The “AR” refers to the original designer and manufacturer: ArmaLite Rifle. It is a very popular semi-automatic hunting rifle that has been available for many decades. Automatic assault weapons cannot be sold.

Fred C. Howard

Snohomish