QotD: AR15 Edition

The general conservative press...and its associated blogosphere...has rarely impressed me with the quality of its firearms-related content from a technical standpoint. Generally the difference between a conservative outlet and a liberal one is that while the writers for both places are largely ignorant of firearms, at least from my point of view, the conservative one at least likes them okay.

So to find Kevin D. Williamson dropping big ol' Martin Fackler quotes in his latest rebuttal to the WaPo's piece on AR-pattern rifles was a breath of fresh air.

It's a pretty decent read.

If the editors of the Washington Post really believe that speed is what makes a bullet lethal then, by all means, I invite them to take one of those high-velocity squirrel guns mentioned above—or a 5.56mm AR-style rifle, for that matter—up to Alaska to hunt some coastal grizzlies. I’d recommend doing some thorough estate planning beforehand.

All the Post has actually established is that a modestly powerful rifle is typically more powerful than a modestly powerful handgun—authoritatively disposing of a matter that has never been, as far as I can tell, in dispute.