AR-15 vs. M-16

The letter from Norman R. Coffman (Ownership of assault guns,” April 18) illustrates how people with no real knowledge of firearms make erroneous assumptions about something they feel strongly about. Mr. Coffman made several of these assumptions in his letter and I feel that they must be addressed.

First, an AR-15 is not a civilian version of the M-16 as he states because while they may look similar, they are very different in function. An AR-15 is a firearm that can only shoot one bullet every time the trigger is pulled, unlike the M-16 which can fire fully automatic.

Also, the purpose of a M-16 is not to kill as many people as possible in a short amount of time; this rifle is designed to fire many bullets in a short amount of time and whether the bullet is fired at a human is entirely left up to the person who pulls the trigger. The rifle itself doesn’t do the killing, the bullet does and you have to remember that any firearm is only designed to fire a projectile at a target — whether it is paper, animal, human or a tin can is entirely left up to the shooter.

The Second Amendment guarantees that the right of the American people to own and bear arms shall not be infringed, and banning any style of firearms for any reason would be an infringement of that right. Remember, it is the person behind the trigger that does the killing not the gun.

Larry M. Smith

Post Falls