re: #550 HappyWarrior

Meanwhile, I’ve seen reports from the pro-gun side saying that an AR-15 was used, by law enforcement in taking down the shooter.

That’s, well, irrelevant.

Law enforcement should have access to weapons necessary to take down criminals as the situation demands. If an AR-15 provides them with the firepower necessary to take down a shooter, they should have that access.

The same can’t or shouldn’t be afforded to civilians who have no need for this kind of weapon.

As it is, criminals can and have gotten the drop on law enforcement and security in the past, taking their weapons and using them against others. Heck, the Sandy Hook shooter murdered his mother and took her stash of weapons and ammo to carry out the massacre there. The presence of the AR-15 and other weapons didn’t protect her. In fact, they were the proximate cause of the carnage across the Sandy Hook elementary school as it was the shooter’s weapon of choice.

That the Navy Yard shooter didn’t use an AR-15 despite some reports that indicated as much is a bit of a relief (the carnage and death toll would have been much higher). But it again highlights the need for better background checks, better security on base, and that the mentally ill have a far too easy access to firearms (both for self-injury and for harming others).