As Americans mourned the terror attack that took the lives of 50 innocent people and left 53 more injured on Sunday, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane mocked the idea of being armed for self-defense and suggested it is time to “ban automatic weapons.”
The gunman identified as being responsible for the attack, Omar Mateen, opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando — a gun free zone — then took hostages before eventually being killed by SWAT teams who stormed the club. Mateen was armed with a handgun and an AR-15 — for which he passed a background check.
When a Twitter follower suggested that club-goers might have defended themselves if they had been allowed to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense, MacFarlane tweeted, “One person carrying a concealed handgun in that club could have ended that horror. // Often stated, never once happened.”
He also called for a ban on the sale of automatic weapons.
He tweeted: “These shootings are a regular occurrence. You don’t get to be ‘shocked’ anymore unless you take action to stop them. Ban automatic weapons.”
MacFarlane did not mention that the AR-15, the gun used in Sunday morning’s shooting, is not an “automatic weapon.” Rather, it is a semiautomatic firearm that fires one round — and only one round — every time the trigger is pulled. The same goes for the handgun Mateen was carrying as well.
At least one Twitter user pointed that out to MacFarlane:
MacFarlane also neglected to mention the numerous times that a concealed carry permit holder has thwarted a gunman in dangerous situations.
Breitbart News previously published an “AR-15 Users Guide for Ignorant Media Pundits Who Just Don’t Get It.” That piece is a very fitting read for celebrities who cannot understand how AR-15s work.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and a political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.