Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 | 2 a.m.
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I am concerned about the continual misrepresentation of military weapons. The AR-15 rifle is exceptionally deadly because it uses the .223 Remington round, with a muzzle velocity of 3,300 feet per second, about three times the speed of sound. When that round enters the body, it creates a supersonic shockwave that radiates outward, tearing up organs and breaking bones as it propagates.
Eyewitnesses to AR-15 mass shootings say that bodies, shot at close range, are are torn into pieces and become unrecognizable. In comparison, a .38 round has a subsonic muzzle velocity which creates a hole as it passes through, but not a shockwave.
This is the subject of the “60 Minutes” report “What makes the AR-15 style rifle the weapon of choice for mass shooters.” It includes a video in which .38 and .223 rounds are shot through a jell block that is used to visually assess the bullet’s track. The AR-15 shockwave is prominent, and it destroys the jell block.
It has been said that knives kill more people than rifles. So why didn’t Stephen Paddock use a knife?
