Fox’s favorite Army colonel slams NRA’s bloody support of assault weapons

Former Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, a conservative Fox News contributor, slammed the NRA and others who claim Americans need access to military-style assault weapons like the AR-15.

Peters is also a columnist at the conservative New York Post, and recently wrote a column arguing for a ban on assault weapons.

An AR-15 style rifle was used in the murders at Stoneman Douglas High in Florida. These assault weapons have been used in multiple mass murders, including the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary and a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence noted that the AR-15 “can basically shoot as quickly as you can pull the trigger.”

Of course, the NRA has defended the AR-15, describing it as a weapon that can be used for “sport shooting [and] hunting.”

Speaking with Fox News host Neil Cavuto, Peters called foul on these dishonest claims while noting he is a Second Amendment supporter and a gun owner.

“These weapons — AR-15 and similar weapons — are not for sporting purposes,” Peters explained. “You don’t take them hunting because they’re meant to tear bodies apart. They tear up the meat.”

“The purpose of the AR-15 series weapons is to kill and maim human beings. That’s it,” he added.

AR-15 rounds are “meant to just tear the body apart so that the wounded person can’t get up and fight again” Peters explained, noting that the weapons were designed for use in war.

“Having those weapons in civilian hands is madness,” he said, a sentiment which runs counter to the NRA’s message.

Regarding the sheriffs who didn’t enter Stoneman Douglas High during the shooting, Peters noted that while they were carrying the handguns, “they’re hearing that semi-automatic fire inside — pop, pop, pop, pop. It’s like going in there with bare hands.”

“It’s pathetic that we’re so wrapped up around AR-15s that we don’t want to protect children,” Peters said.

Lt. Col. Peters: “I support the Second Amendment… I’m a gun owner. I know guns. My family’s a gun family going way back. But these weapons – AR-15 and similar weapons – are not for sporting purposes. You don’t take them hunting because they’re meant to tear bodies apart.” pic.twitter.com/HsQZXnkmXq

— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 24, 2018

Heather Sher, a Florida radiologist, treated victims of the Stoneman Douglas High shooting. She wrote in the Atlantic about the effects of being shot by an AR-15 style weapon compared to a handgun:

The bullets fired by an AR-15 are different; they travel at higher velocity and are far more lethal. The damage they cause is a function of the energy they impart as they pass through the body. A typical AR-15 bullet leaves the barrel traveling almost three times faster than, and imparting more than three times the energy of, a typical 9mm bullet from a handgun. An AR-15 rifle outfitted with a magazine with 50 rounds allows many more lethal bullets to be delivered quickly without reloading.

Medical professionals see it. A conservative military veteran sees it. And the majority of Americans see it.

But the NRA and its political allies continue to stubbornly cling to these weapons of war, and to callously ignore the fatal consequences.

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