Former NYPD commissioner Howard Safir called for banning the AR-15 semi-automatic sporting rifle for civilian use Tuesday while on “CNN Newsroom” with Carol Costello.
AR-15 (Credit: Shutterstock)
Safir said that Omar Mateen, the man who killed 49 people in the Orlando terrorist attack, “basically had an AR-15, which is a military weapon, it causes great loss of life to anybody who comes in contact with it.” (RELATED: Yet Another Reporter Exposes His Embarrassing Gun Ignorance)
“And you know, you have to move cautiously. I think the more important issue, is what do we do about banning the weapons in the future.” (RELATED: Cruz: Democrats Are Using ‘ISIS Terror’ To ‘Restrict The Second Amendment’ [VIDEO])
Costello responded, “Well, I wish I could say something, but it doesn’t appear we’re going to do anything. At least, you know, if you base it on what happened yesterday among lawmakers.” (RELATED: Senate Shoots Down All Gun Control Proposals)
A bit of a fact-check of some of Safir’s statements: Mateen did not use an AR-15. He used a Sig Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle.
Secondly, the AR-15 is not a military weapon. It is the civilian version of a weapon used by the U.S. military. The major difference is that the AR-15 can only be used as a semi-automatic weapon. There is no select-fire ability for the civilian version.