Letter to the editor: What is an 'assault weapon'?

I am tired of people calling AR-15s “assault weapons.” In the case of a rifle, an assault weapon has a selective rate of fire … semiautomatic (one shot fired for each time you pull the trigger), to fully automatic (many shots fired with a single pull of the trigger). Some are equipped with “burst fire,” three or five shots fired with a single pull of the trigger. An AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle only. One shot is fired per pull of the trigger. As such, it is not an “assault weapon.” Taken to the extreme, a rock could be considered as the first “assault weapon.”

The general public misunderstands this, and the news media and politicians (like President Biden) play on that misunderstanding. That is how they try to eliminate your right to own such a weapon, by playing on the emotions of uninformed people to eliminate your right to self-defense.

If you own a handgun, get a concealed carry permit, take a class (or several) from qualified instructors and get familiar with your weapon, learn the law and, if you feel comfortable with it, carry your gun often. Join the U.S. Concealed Carry Association or Legal Heat. Both organizations will come to your defense if you must lawfully use your weapon. Support pro-Second Amendment groups. If you reside in Pennsylvania, I can highly recommend FOAC (Firearms Owners Against Crime).

Get involved. Encourage people you know to get informed.

George Silowash

Penn Township, Westmoreland County