Opinion
The recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump has sparked a wave of reactions, but the response from House Democrats, as always, misses the mark. Rather than addressing the root causes and the failures of DHS and the Secret Service, their primary conclusion is a call to ban America’s most popular semi-automatic rifle, the AR-15.
During Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Democrats repeatedly pushed for gun control. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) even questioned if Americans’ gun ownership posed a safety threat. The narrative presented by Democrats implied that banning AR-15s could have prevented the attack on Trump. However, this perspective ignores several critical points.
Firstly, the AR-15 is often mislabeled as an “assault weapon,” whatever that is. The rifle is functionally identical to a small caliber semi-automatic hunting rifle. Unlike military weapons, these rifles fire one bullet per trigger pull. The .223 rounds used in AR-15s are actually smaller than those used for hunting deer. The real issue isn’t the type of weapon but the intent and actions of the perpetrator.
Moreover, Democrats’ calls to ban AR-15s overlook the failures of the Secret Service. Testimonies revealed that Trump’s security requests were repeatedly denied, and his main Secret Service detail was diverted to other events. These failures in protocol and resource allocation played a significant role in the success of the assassination attempt, yet they are not being addressed.
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden have both been vocal in their calls to ban semi-automatic rifles, leveraging the tragedy for political gain. This stance is part of a broader, longstanding hostility towards the firearm industry and Second Amendment rights. Harris, in particular, has a track record of pushing for stringent gun control measures, often ignoring the evidence that such bans do not reduce crime rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the previous assault weapons ban had no significant impact on crime.
Additionally, it’s important to note the vast ownership and use of AR-15s by law-abiding citizens. Over 24 million AR-15s are currently in circulation in the United States.
AR-15 Ownership Data (1990-2020)
- Total AR-15s in Circulation: 24,446,000
- Production and Import Data:
- 1990: 74,000 (43,000 produced, 31,000 imported)
- 2000: 216,000 (86,000 produced, 130,000 imported)
- 2010: 584,000 (444,000 produced, 140,000 imported)
- 2020: 2,798,000 (2,466,000 produced, 332,000 imported)
- Growth Over Time:
- 1990-2000: From 74,000 to 216,000
- 2000-2010: From 216,000 to 584,000
- 2010-2020: From 584,000 to 2,798,000
- Peak Production Year: 2020, with 2,798,000 AR-15s produced or imported.
The data demonstrates a significant increase in the number of AR-15s in circulation over the past three decades, reflecting their growing popularity among law-abiding citizens for purposes such as hunting, sport shooting, and self-defense. The AR-15 remains the most popular centerfire semi-automatic rifle in the United States.
​These firearms are popular for their reliability, accuracy, and versatility. They are used for a variety of legal purposes, including hunting, sport shooting, and self-defense. Banning these rifles would not only infringe on the rights of millions of Americans but also fail to address the real issue of criminal misuse of firearms.
The Democrat’s approach also fails to recognize that the majority of gun-related crimes are committed with handguns, not rifles. According to FBI data, rifles of any kind are used in a small fraction of gun-related crimes. The focus on banning AR-15s is, therefore, not only misplaced but also ineffective in reducing overall gun violence.
Finally, it’s crucial to recognize the nasty, divisive rhetoric by the Democrats, President Biden and Harris in particular, that contributed to this attack. The Biden campaign’s portrayal of Trump as an “authoritarian fascist” created a hostile environment. A survey revealed that 61% of likely voters believe this rhetoric played a role in the assassination attempt.
Even many Democrats acknowledge this connection. This dangerous rhetoric, coupled with the operational failures of the Secret Service, is the real issue that needs to be addressed.
The bungling idiot-House Democrats’ focus on banning the AR-15 in response to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump is misguided and politically driven. The real solutions lie in addressing security lapses and reducing divisive political rhetoric, not in stripping Americans of their Second Amendment rights.
About Tred Law
Tred Law is your everyday patriot with a deep love for this country and a no-compromise approach to the Second Amendment. He does not write articles for Ammoland every week, but when he does write, it is usually about liberals Fing with his right to keep and bear arms.
Lies, all lies! If the left couldn’t lie they wouldn’t be able to open their mouths.
nod,
And then their heads would explode.
The energy wasted by democrats to remove guns from Americans serves one purpose Fear that is what drives the democrats. Issue after issue brings on the media and the far left who’s voice is the only voice getting attention. Facts are not in the best interest of the democratic party if they were democrats would be finished. Truth is just a word not a way of life for the socialist democratic party. Republicans still have little or no skin in the game divided not unified I still can not understand why the republican party will not go on the attack.… Read more »
john,
The majority of Rebuplicans in public office do not know what Republic is, let alone a Constitutional one.
That in fact makes them either Socialists or Usefull Idiots
Ban Demoncrats!
America would be much safer if we would ban politicians that promote violence , like the Democrats have done against Trump the last 8 years . Ban all violence promoting Democrats and it would solve alot of the problems accross America today .
this country could go 100 years with NO gun viloance and dumb as craps would still want to take away your guns. they are so afraid the votes will find out what the dumb as crap party has in store for them, that the voters would revolt and do the dumb as crap [arty harm. ponder on it if you can
Demoncraps, socialists and communists will all tell you that the gun is an evil thing, capable of mass, indiscriminate murder, because of it’s magazine (clip) capacity, rate of fire (at least 10K bullets per minuet), and it’s scary looks. While they are doing they ignore the actual problem that we have in society. Long ago, when I was a young man you would hear a call to prayer and the national anthem EVERYT DAY. When I was a kid our house was never locked and the keys for the car were ———- in the car. Different times? Different morals, different… Read more »
Any Democrat administration wouldn’t allow any one of us, who are 2A types and knowledgeable about firearms, to get within ten miles of an appointment to a Justice Department administrative office. This is the reason you have only anti-gunners leading the ATF, Secret Service and FBI.
I haven’t heard Trump complain about the Secret Service incident. He of all people is usually first to point out failure. Wonder if their texts will be deleted?
China Berry,
Trump has done just that, at least a1/2 dozen times. News you consume must be censored, that or you are willfully deaf and blind.
In state service you don’t complain about the people that you might need help from later and as a running X president, he needs their help.
Democrats are running our system. Democrats cannot be trusted and are vengeful and they hate republicans enough to kill them. Think Portland and ANTIFA when the supported by our government peaceful protesters killed a Trump supporter.
At first the Democrats tried to keep Trump off the ballot. SCOTUS blocked that. Next they had the rigged trial in NY to get him in jail on 7/11 so they could Epstein him. That got postponed (but they will try that gain 9/18). That left the assassination attempt on 7/13 in which God miraculously intervened to save Trump. Now they will have to try another attempt at assassination at any future rally. The SS was not inept, they were complicit. If the truth ever came out this would lead to the very top and probably to Sotero and Biden… Read more »