In a recent letter to the editor the writer claimed the AR-15 is not a weapon of war. The AR-15 is most certainly a rifle developed by the ArmaLite company for war; all of the specifications for the rifle design met military needs. This included high capacity magazines, light weight, high velocity rounds, smaller ammunition to allow soldiers to carry more rounds that the M-14 it was to replace. it was modified to become the M-16 rifle that became the primary U.S. Army firearm during the course of the Vietnam war; primarily by making the M-16 a switch selectable automatic rifle. The high velocity rounds produce such terrible damage that the U.S. military prohibited release of photos showing the damage until 1980. The same rounds fired by the AR-15 today are used in the vast majority of mass murders in our country.
The fact that we allow military-grade weapons like the AR-15 to be purchased by children not yet old enough to drink beer, that we do not have the courage to stop those who murder children, or that we had to create the term “active shooter” to replace the more accurate term “murderer” is sickening. What country allows this mass murder; and what kind of politician facilitates these murders to help get re-elected.
Let us stop the madness: universal background checks, red-flag laws and permits, etc. The NRA used to support restrictions on gun ownership; in fact they were the leading gun control advocate in the United States for about 100 years. In about 1977 they moved in their current direction; very few restrictions on gun ownership by almost anyone. The NRA used to support licensing, gun registration, training and limits on the kinds of firearms a civilian could own. Now they support gun access that has given us countless mass murders, including the tragic murder of children in their schools.
Let us stop the madness.
Kenneth MacDicken
Monroe
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