A new proposal by two anti-gun federal legislators would ban youngsters under 16 from participating in 3-gun competitions—the country’s fastest-growing shooting sport—or any other recreational use of the popular AR-15 rifle.
The proposal, by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., would ban people under 16 years of age from shooting a “machine gun or assault weapon,” even at a gun range under the supervision of a parent or other responsible adults. And when gun-haters say “assault weapon,” they are incorrectly referring to the AR-15-type rifle—a semi-auto rifle design that has been sold to law-abiding American gun owners for nearly a half century.
In truth, the AR-15’s ease of use and light recoil make it the perfect tool for teaching youngsters rifle shooting skills, and its semi-auto operation makes it very similar to many other rifles antis claim to not want to ban. Fact is, anti-gun legislators really want to delay young people entering the shooting sports so they can curb the so-called “gun culture” they hold in such contempt.
