Nonsense: Here’s Why the Civilian AR-15 Isn’t a ‘Weapon of War’

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The New York Times says that after last week’s horrific shooting attack on two mosques, New Zealand is having “its gun-debate moment.” And of course, since New Zealand is having a gun-debate moment (despite already having stringent gun control laws), the U.S. anti-gun crowd has to jump in too, once again spreading disinformation about anti-gun activists’ favorite boogeyman: the AR-15.

Every time a semi-automatic rifle with modern-looking aesthetics is used by a bad person to do evil, anti-gun politicians and pundits flood the zone with misinformation and misleading talking points. Sunday night, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough jumped into the fray with a misleading historic take on why the AR-15 modern sporting rifle (MSR) platform is supposedly a battlefield weapon that shouldn’t be protected by the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment cases.

And 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Robert O’Rourke said something similar over the weekend, calling the AR-15 a “weapon of war.”

So let’s clear up a few facts:

As I’ve explained before, in the late 1950s, small-arms whiz Eugene Stoner started designing prototypes for the United States military, with a heavy focus on making issued rifles lighter and theoretically allowing troops to carry more ammunition.

In 1956, Stoner and his team at Armalite started work on the AR-15 prototype, which followed the AR-10 prototype. AR stands for “Armalite Rifle,” not “assault rifle” or “automatic rifle.”

The company had a hard time selling the original design and licensed it to Colt in 1959.

In 1963, the original fully automatic, select-fire Armalite turned into to Colt’s design for the newly commissioned M16. That same year, Colt released a semi-automatic version of the AR-15 modular platform to the law enforcement and civilian market.

When the patent expired In 1977, other manufacturers got in on the MSR game.

The typical MSR you’ll find on the wall at your nearest gun store is semi-automatic and fires a .223 round. That means a smaller cartridge and one bullet fired per trigger pull, compared to what became the M16, which used a bigger 5.56 cartridge.

Some MSRs fire both 5.56 rounds and .223 rounds. The main difference is that the 5.56 has more powder behind the bullet. A .223 can be fired out of a 5.56-chambered rifle (although with diminished pressure) but not vice versa. But they’re still semi-automatic either way.

This means that in both the ammunition it fires and the rate at which it fires, the AR-15 is more akin to the famous Ruger Mini14 ranch rifle than the M4 carbine, which is what’s been putting rounds downrange for the Department of Defense since 1994. No AR-15 marketed for civilian use is an automatic rifle.

If you want to legally purchase an automatic firearm made before 1986, there are a ton of prohibitive bureaucratic hoops you have to jump through (plus, they’re incredibly expensive because of the 1986 ban). If you want to buy one made after 1986, you either need to be a law enforcement officer with a reason to have it or a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL).

Despite the hype, rifles killed fewer people than knives, blunt objects, and fists in the U.S. in 2016, according to FBI stats.

Furthermore, people who like to point out that MSRs are popular with shooters need to realize that that’s probably because MSRs are just popular in general. The design is light, low-recoil, and – because of its modular design – easily customizable. That means that no matter how your body is configured or what your specific needs are, you can typically find a way shoot comfortably. Those are features that all kinds of shooters, from target shooters to farmers and hunters, find useful.

But saying such features themselves somehow make it easier for evil people to shoot up innocents is like saying that a popular model of motor vehicle should be banned because the seat-warmers, adjustable steering column, and extra cup holders make it more popular among drunk drivers.

The fact that so many prominent anti-gun people think that the modern sporting rifle available to civilian purchasers today is a weapon that is used or even proposed for use in combat just shows how little they understand about guns. And if you’re going to try to ban something or criminalize people’s legally purchased property, you’d better at least have your facts straight about it. (For more from the author of “Nonsense: Here’s Why the Civilian AR-15 Isn’t a ‘Weapon of War'” please click HERE)

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Trump Urges Fox News to Bring Back Pirro

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President Donald Trump seemed to adopt the role of programmer in chief on Sunday, firing off a series of tweets that singled out for solidarity and scorn various anchors at his favorite network, Fox News, and suggested that federal regulators should bear down on “Saturday Night Live” and NBC.

The president’s posts directed at Fox News followed a particularly bruising week for the conservative cable outlet. Last Sunday, audio clips surfaced of misogynistic comments that prime-time host Tucker Carlson made on a Florida shock jock’s radio show from 2006 to 2011, and fellow talking head Jeanine Pirro was roundly rebuked the same weekend for appearing to question the patriotism of a Muslim-American member of Congress.

Fox News did not air Pirro’s weekly program, “Justice,” on Saturday night, and CNN reported Sunday that she has been suspended from the network. The president made clear that he was no fan of the unannounced lineup change. . .

Trump regularly tweets segments of Fox News shows and offers praise and promotion for its on-screen talent. But the president’s screed on Sunday marked perhaps his most forceful demand yet to the network on which the White House often relies for interviews, messaging to Republican voters and generally favorable coverage of the administration’s directives. (Read more from “Trump Urges Fox News to Bring Back Pirro” HERE)

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Previously Deported Illegal Alien Crashes Car Into State Trooper

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An illegal alien was arrested Saturday morning after authorities say he drunk drove his car down a Louisiana freeway and ultimately crashed into a Louisiana State Police vehicle.

The suspect in question, Melgar Cardona, had been previously deported from the United States and was considered a fugitive by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The crash occurred at 5:30 AM in the middle of an active work zone on I-210 Westbound after his 2005 Toyota veered into a state trooper’s car. . .

Cardona’s arrest comes just two days after Lousiana Attorney General Ken Paxton penned an op-ed in USA Today alongside two other state attorneys general declaring support for President Donald J. Trump’s national emergency declaration on illegal immigration.

“In declaring a state of emergency pursuant to the NEA, President Trump is using pre-existing statutory authority to address a legitimate crisis created by lawless conduct at and beyond our southern border. This emergency declaration is not a case of the president relieving himself of restrictions under the law. To the contrary, our president is protecting our country’s borders through means contemplated by Congress and used many times by past presidents for matters less directly threatening than those present on the southern border.” Paxton wrote. (Read more from “Previously Deported Illegal Alien Crashes Car Into State Trooper” HERE)

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Omar Now Feels Targeted by a News Outlet

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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Friday shared a tweet with part of a prayer from the Quran, which literally translated to “We belong to Allah and to Allah we shall return.”

The Hill wrote a piece about Omar’s tweet, which was literally nothing more than a translation of what she said.

Omar seemed to take offense to the article because she felt she was being singled out. At the end of the tweet where she slammed The Hill, Omar included another short Muslim prayer about redemption. “I seek forgiveness from Allah,” is what it translates to.

here was nothing offensive about what The Hill wrote. Absolutely nothing. All they did was share what Omar said and where it came from. . .

Omar wants to continually to push this theory that everyone is against her because she’s Muslim, which is the furthest thing from the truth. People have condemned her anti-Semitic tropes. No one has said anything about her faith. If anything, she has been persecuting people for their faith. (Read more from “Omar Now Feels Targeted by a News Outlet” HERE)

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Beto Takes One Question on Guns — Gives an Answer Both Sides Will Hate

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Democratic 2020 hopeful Beto O’Rourke answered one question about guns during a Friday podcast — and his answer is likely to alienate both sides of the debate. . .

He began by talking about the AR-15, claiming that it was designed for military use and was intended to be a weapon of war. He argued that the “high-impact, high-velocity round” would “blow a hole in your back the size of an orange,” leaving you to bleed out long before anyone could get help to you.

While bullets fired from an AR-15 are certainly lethal from a variety of distances, even Snopes isn’t sure that the orange-sized exit wound is an entirely accurate representation. The size of the exit wound, according to a number of experts, is determined in part by the amount of internal damage and any damaged tissue exiting the body along with the bullet.

But fact-check aside, the first part of O’Rourke’s response appeared to line right up with most who assert that “common-sense gun regulations” means keeping “weapons of war” off the streets. . .

An op-ed published in the Durango Herald just two weeks after the Parkland shooting in 2018 called for a specific AR-15 buyback. Just two months later, Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell took it a step further, submitting an op-ed to USA Today titled, “Ban Assault Weapons, Buy Them Back, Go After Resisters.” (Read more from “Beto Takes One Question on Guns — Gives an Answer Both Sides Will Hate” HERE)

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Dems’ Plan to Split GOP Over Mueller Report Didn’t Play out How They Wanted

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The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, voted for the resolution calling for any final report in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation to be made public, but told Fox News on Sunday it was unnecessary.

“It was a political stunt by the Democrats who felt that they could divide Republicans into voting no upon it because at the end of the day after I looked at it, when they dropped it … they said this is nothing but simply a first-year law student’s restatement of what the regular regulations say that Mr. (Attorney General William) Barr is going to have to do,” he said on “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo.

The House voted unanimously Thursday for the resolution, a symbolic action designed to urge Barr into releasing as much information as possible when the investigation is concluded.

The Democratic-backed resolution, which passed 420-0, comes as Mueller appears to be nearing an end to his investigation. Lawmakers in both parties have maintained there will have to be some sort of public resolution when the report is done — and privately hope that a report shows conclusions that are favorable to their own side. . .

“We know and you know, as you said earlier, that there’s not going to be collusion here. This is where it is going to be … very hard for the Democrats. All this was. Don’t be fooled by this. This was simply a stunt because they thought they could divide Republicans to make us look bad as not being transparent,” Collins said Sunday. “I have no problem being transparent with what we see is coming forward, and it’s within the regulation to say that this was nothing more than a political stunt. (Read more from “Dems’ Plan to Split GOP Over Mueller Report Didn’t Play out How They Wanted” HERE)

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Lawmaker Proposes Bill That Would Require Every State Resident to Own an AR-15

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A new bill recently introduced in Missouri State House would mandate that every state citizen within a certain age range own an AR-15 style rifle.

Missouri State Rep. Andrew McDaniel (R) this week introduced the “McDaniel Militia Act,” which declares that “every resident of this state shall own at least one AR-15.” The bill defines “residents” as those between the ages of 18-35 “who is not prohibited by law or court order from possessing a firearm.”

Under the bill, state residents are given one year to purchase an AR-15 if they do not already own one.

“Every resident of this state shall own at least one AR-15. Any person who qualifies as a resident on August 28, 2019, and who does not own an AR-15 shall have one year to purchase an AR-15,” the bill states. “Any resident qualifies as a resident after August 28, 2019, and does not own an AR-15 shall purchase an AR-15 no later than one year after qualifying as a resident.” . . .

McDaniel, who is a former sheriff’s deputy, told the Associated Press that he knows his bill has no chance of becoming law. Instead, he introduced the legislation to “make a point on mandates in general.” (Read more from “Lawmaker Proposes Bill That Would Require Every State Resident to Own an AR-15” HERE)

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Ocasio-Cortez Has Another EPIC Meltdown – Here’s Why

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) lashed out at Fox News over the weekend after new polling showed that her “unfavorable” ratings have skyrocketed among most voter demographic groups. . .

The new Gallup survey released last Friday showed that Ocasio-Cortez is becoming a well-known politician despite her freshman status in Congress. However, with the recognition has come negative perception.

In fact, while the poll found her favorability has inched up seven points since last September from 24 percent to 31 percent, Ocasio-Cortez’s unfavorable ratings have found a similar boost: 15 points since last September from 26 percent 41 percent. . .

Even when demographics are considered, Gallup found that Ocasio-Cortez is “underwater among most groups.” Indeed, Ocasio-Cortez is only viewed positively among Democrats and nonwhites. She is viewed as only slightly positive among women and adults aged 18 to 34.

(Read more from “Ocasio-Cortez Has Another EPIC Meltdown – Here’s Why” HERE)

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Reuters Admits They Sat on Bombshell Beto O’Rourke Story for 2 Years

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Reuters reported late on Friday night that their reporter who broke the story about Democrat Beto O’Rourke belonging to a hacker group had the story for two years and agreed to sit on it until after O’Rourke’s Senate race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

The report, published early on Friday, documented O’Rourke’s involvement in a hacker group named “Cult of the Dead Cow,” and included multiple past writings from O’Rourke, some of which were described as “disturbing.”

“After more than a year of reporting, [Joseph] Menn persuaded O’Rourke to talk on the record,” Reuters reported. “In an interview in late 2017, O’Rourke acknowledged that he was a member of the group, on the understanding that the information would not be made public until after his Senate race against Ted Cruz in November 2018.”

Menn says that he learned about O’Rourke’s involvement in the group after he decided to write about the hacking group, which he called “the most interesting and influential hacking group in history.”

“While I was looking into the Cult of the Dead Cow, I found out that they had a member who was sitting in Congress. I didn’t know which one,” Menn said. “And then I figured out which one it was. And the members of the group wouldn’t talk to me about who it was. They wouldn’t confirm that it was this person unless I promised that I wouldn’t write about it until after the November election.” (Read more from “Reuters Admits They Sat on Bombshell Beto O’Rourke Story for 2 Years” HERE)

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Illegal Alien Healthcare Costs Taxpayers an Alarming Amount

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Every year, American taxpayers are forced to subsidize the cost of health care for illegal aliens who have been arrested by federal immigration officials to the sum of about a quarter of a billion dollars.

In data obtained by Breitbart News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveals that more than $250 million in U.S. tax dollars goes towards providing medical, dental, and mental health care for illegal aliens and border crossers who are in ICE custody at any given time.

This cost does not include the cost of illegal aliens and their U.S.-born children living throughout the country. Separately, these illegal aliens and their children cost the American taxpayer more than $17 billion a year in medical expenses, according to research by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

The cost of providing health care to illegal aliens arrested by ICE at American taxpayers’ expense has slightly increased between 2016 to 2018. For instance, the cost of health care for illegal aliens in ICE custody in Fiscal Year 2017 was less than $248 million in Fiscal Year 2017. By Fiscal Year 2018, that total had increased about $20 million, as illegal immigration continues souring in the U.S. . .

Currently, the nation’s Washington, DC-imposed mass legal immigration policy — whereby about 1.5 million unskilled legal immigrants are admitted to the U.S. every year — is a boon to corporate executives, Wall Street, big business, and multinational conglomerates, as America’s working and middle class have their wealth redistributed to the country’s top earners through wage stagnation. (Read more from “Illegal Alien Healthcare Costs Taxpayers an Alarming Amount” HERE)

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