On Tuesday, the New York Daily News’ Gersh Kuntzman recounted a recent visit he made to a Philadelphia gun range, during which he realized first-hand just how truly terrifying it is to shoot an AR-15.
WATCH:
Gun control advocates have looked at the recent tragedy in Orlando as a jumping off point to renew calls for a federal ban on assault rifles.
Those in favor of the ban argue that no person will ever need such a high-powered weapon, even for the purposes of self-defense, but Kuntzman was able to glean an even more important reason for taking these killing machines off the streets: people can become scared WHILE firing these bad boys. (VIDEO: Here’s Rachel Maddow Firing An AR And Talking About How Much She Loves Guns)
“I traveled to Philadelphia to better understand the firepower of military-style assault weapons and, hopefully, explain their appeal to gun lovers,” he wrote. “But mostly, I was just terrified.”
Squeeze lightly on the trigger and the resulting explosion of firepower is humbling and deafening (even with ear protection).
The recoil bruised my shoulder. The brass shell casings disoriented me as they flew past my face. The smell of sulfur and destruction made me sick. The explosions — loud like a bomb — gave me a temporary case of PTSD. For at least an hour after firing the gun just a few times, I was anxious and irritable.
It should be noted that the video doesn’t actually show Kuntzman ever firing a weapon.
Kunt also made some blatantly false statements in the recollection of his “humbling” experience.
“It feels like a bazooka — and sounds like a cannon”
A bazooka is characterized as an over-the-shoulder, recoil-less rocket launcher. Emphasis on “recoil-less.”
So unless Kuntzman was firing some type of open-backed AR-15 — or holding it like an idiot — the rifle he allegedly fired felt nothing like firing a bazooka.
An AR-15 “can empty a 40-round clip in less than five seconds.”
No.
No it cannot.
For comparison, here’s a bunch of Daily Caller reporters shooting guns and not shitting their pants in the process. (SLIDESHOW: The Daily Caller Visits The NRA Headquarter’s Gun Range)