On the recordJune 15, 2016
The Senator continually references military-style assault weapons. Frankly, I had the privilege of commanding paratroopers, and we were armed with M-16s, which is an AR-15 military variance. It was clear to us--and this was 30 years ago--these are military weapons. These are weapons that were designed to mass fire, rapid fire, even in semiautomatic mode. These were not designed for hunting. In fact, back in those days, we replaced the M-14--which didn't have the same capabilities, much more accurate--because what they were looking for was just a sheer volume of fire that can inflict the most casualties possible, particularly in confined spaces, because of woods, because of jungle, because of war, because you are in a building. I think your points about military assault weapons are exactly the right points, and you, like me, have heard this not only from law enforcement professionals but also from military personnel about the nature of this weapon.
