The purpose of a Marine/Army infantry squad is to “locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and close combat” (FMFM 6-3). The primary weapon for these units is the M-16, which has been easily re-designated as the AR-15 in the civilian environment.
The M-16/AR-15 has been designed to inflict maximum casualties on our opponents through its range, velocity and cyclic rate of fire. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are trained extensively, repetitively and constantly in the proper use of these weapons. A civilian shouldn’t have access to these deadly firearms.
If the politicians are serious about reducing civilian casualties caused by firearms, then their primary recourse should be to make these assault weapons illegal. The politicians should establish a buyback program and get these firearms off the streets. Or perhaps this action would be resisted by too many people who are insecure in their “manhood.”
Disclaimer/validation — I’m a retired Marine with over 22 years service, including fighting in Vietnam, who has witnessed, up close and personal, the damage an M-16/AR15 can do to the human body.
J.P. KIRBY
Schenectady
GAZETTE COVERAGE
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Categories: Letters to the Editor, Opinion
