We’ve had many different types of scaremongering by people who have no real understanding of guns, such as this recent one which yammered on about “full semi-automatic“. Now the NY Times brings you
With AR-15s, Mass Shooters Attack With the Rifle Firepower Typically Used by Infantry Troops
When a gunman walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, he was carrying an AR-15-style rifle that allowed him to fire upon people in much the same way that many American soldiers and Marines would fire their M16 and M4 rifles in combat.
Except for the whole “it’s a semi-automatic rifle, which fires exactly one bullet per trigger pull.” The Times a few videos, followed by a picture of an M16 which is used by the infantry (but mostly replaced now by the M4), followed by graphics of SCARY looking rifles not used by the infantry, before finally mentioning
The main functional difference between the military’s M16 and M4 rifles and a civilian AR-15 is the “burst†mode on many military models, which allow three rounds to be fired with one trigger pull. Some military versions of the rifles have a full automatic feature, which fires until the trigger is released or a magazine is empty of ammunition.
But, in Times World, it doesn’t matter that the rifles they’re fearmongering do not operate the same
But in actual American combat these technical differences are less significant than they seem. For decades the American military has trained its conventional troops to fire their M4s and M16s in the semiautomatic mode — one bullet per trigger pull — instead of on “burst†or automatic in almost all shooting situations. The weapons are more accurate this way, and thus more lethal.
They also have mostly done away with rifles that fire more than 3-4 rounds per trigger pull, so as to not waste rounds. Regardless, they aren’t the same weapons, because, get this, it is illegal for civilians to purchase or possess an automatic weapon, or modify to be automatic.
Of course, this doesn’t matter, because the Times has a Narrative to push.
In fact, you can purchase rifles that have a lot more stopping power than an AR-15 and it’s various incarnations. Hunters tend to use stronger rifles that aren’t scary looking but fire heavier powered rounds and also work the same as the demonized rifles: fire one round per trigger pull. Like these. In fact, there are many calibers, such as .30-06, that are more lethal. And, of course, it depends on the type of ammo style used, such as fragmenting or not.
Let’s run this again
Same guns, just one isn’t scary looking.
Do you know what the military tends to carry M4’s? Because they’re lightweight. Easy to tote. Which is why a lot of people, including women, like to purchase them for protection. Why do leftist gun grabbers want to make it harder for women to defend themselves? Do they hate women?
