Debunked: 'Gun used in Navy Yard shooting was an assault rifle.'

Gary Cook

Active Member
On September 16, 2013, lone gunman Aaron Alexis fatally shot twelve people and injured three others in a mass shooting at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) inside the Washington Navy Yard in SoutheastWashington, D.C.[6][7][8] The attack, which took place in the Navy Yard's Building 197, began around 8:20 a.m. EDT and ended when Alexis was killed by police around 9:20 a.m. EDT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Navy_Yard_shooting
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This event quickly became a political issue relating to gun-control. Both sides of the debate had a lot to say about the event and what reflection it had on the issue of gun control.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's opinion was made known in a public speech, the same day I believe. As part of the speech she claimed:

"This is one more event to add to the litany of massacres that occur when a deranged person or grievance killer is able to obtain multiple weapons -- including a military-style assault rifle -- and kill many people in a short amount of time."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/gun-control-debate_n_3937341.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
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Although later it became known that the gun used was really a Remington 970 Express Tactical 12-gauge shotgun, at the time the information was that the gun was believed to have likely been an AR-15.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/16/us/dc-navy-yard-gunshots/index.html

Both the AR-15 and the shotgun are not assault rifles. It could be argued that an AR-15 is an assault weapon [a definition I don't like personally] but it is certainly not an assault rifle. Nor of course the actual gun that was really the weapon - a shotgun.


Therefore, I declare this claim debunked, of course albeit pending on any proven rebuttals.
 
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Do you pay attention to the dates in the articles you read? The Huffpost is from 9/16/2013 and the CNN is from the Navy Yard shooting that happened back in September 2013.

The gun used in yesterdays Fort Hood shooting was apparently a .45 Smith & Wesson semi-auto handgun.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/02/us/fort-hood-shooter-profile/
Lopez used a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol that he recently purchased in the area, Milley said. He didn't know how much ammunition Lopez was carrying.
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I haven't seen one mention of an assault rifle (or shotgun) being used.
Did I miss something here? Gary only mentioned the Navy Yard shooting, not the Hood shooting.
 
Unless you have a time machine, it seems rather pointless to debunk a claim that nobody makes any more.

I would think it would encourage people not to create bunk. As there are people that will notice it. Even if it takes awhile, in my case. =)
 
Aren't all weapons 'assault' weapons? Seems an accurate description of their function. What's the definition?
Basically, "I saw it in a movie and it looked scary." The legal definition of "assault weapon" is rather ludicrous. You can have 2 identical guns. Same caliber, same clip capacity, same firing power, same rate of fire. If one has a barrel a shroud (A safety feature to prevent users from burning the hands on the barrel) it's an assault weapon. Is it capable of using a silencer (which hardly silences anything)? it's an assault weapon. Does the stock fold up for transport and storage? It's an assault weapon.
 
It is political and legal, like the Wiki says.

Both are obviously artificial constructs. Whether they are really law or not is surely subjective.
 
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