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Jason Crow, MSNBC host conflate sporting rifles with military weapons, blame violence on Lauren Boebert

DENVER–Colorado Congressman Jason Crow, D-Aurora took advantage Wednesday of the horrific murders of 10 people in Boulder to appear on the left-leaning MSNBC’s “ReidOut” with host Joy Reid to say “there just isn’t” any reason for civilians to own semiautomatic, magazine-fed sporting rifles like the AR-15.

In response to Reid asking “what purpose is there for these guns,” Crow, who previously served as an Army Ranger, conflated civilian sporting rifles with military assault weapons. “There isn’t, Joy.  There’s a reason why I didn’t take my deer hunting rifle to Afghanistan, there’s a reason why I didn’t take my military assault rifle into the woods to deer hunt…These assault weapons were designed to one thing, kill lots of people as quickly as possible and they are horrifically efficient at doing that,” said Crow.

Reid admitted at the beginning of the segment that rifles like the AR-15 are not military weapons, but quickly returned to conflating semiautomatic sporting rifles frequently used for hunting and not designed for killing “lots of people as quickly as possible” with Crow’s military issue M16/M4 select-fire assault rifle, which he would not have been permitted to take deer hunting in the first place.

Crow continued, referring to legal semiautomatic rifles, “They don’t belong in our streets, in our schools, in our movie theaters, in our mosques, in our synagogues. I represent a community that has seen more than its share of these mass shootings, and it’s got to stop.”

In 2013 Breitbart News reported that, “Ironically, a ‘Personal Defense Weapons Solicitation’ for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), lists an AR-15 variant as ‘suitable for personal defense.’”

Then Reid turned to attacking Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, R-Rifle for her display of rifles and pistols in her Zoom background in a virtual hearing on February 18  during a debate over changing House rules to prevent representatives from bringing guns to committee meetings.

Boebert was and remains unapologetic for her insistence on protecting her right to carry a handgun and has been issued a concealed carry permit by the D.C. Police.

“It doesn’t matter how you feel or how you classify it, this is an enumerated right that American citizens have to keep and bear arms,” said Boebert in response to criticism from Democrats.

“She’s now taken down her little zoom background in which she just ostentatiously displayed, I would say pornographically displayed these kinds of weapons behind her just for show,” said Reid. “Let’s be clear, she displayed that just to make a point.”

There is little question that is exactly what Boebert intended, but Reid claimed Boebert “pornographically” displaying firearms “increases violence more than people saying defund the police.”

Crow replied, “Well, if there is any lesson of the last four years it’s that the words and actions of leaders matter. You know, it’s not funny when people are now getting killed and hurt, and it hasn’t been for a very long time, it’s never been funny. When you hold a position of influence and power, when people listen to you when you say things, when you use guns for political stunts, for political theater, it results in people getting hurt and killed, so that’s why it’s got to stop.”

Reid continued sniping at Boebert Thursday, accusing her of being “the absolute worst” for a March 25th tweet saying “Universal background checks on law-abiding gun owners is a non-starter. We should start discussing universal background checks for the thousands of people pouring across our borders. Watch how quickly background checks would become “racist” to Democrats.”

Boebert, a savvy user of social media and ferocious defender of gun rights has turned the attacks by Reid and others into campaign cash by appealing to her supporters, and has been criticized by Democrats for that as well.

Of the Boulder killings Boebert said, “The common theme in Colorado with all of these tragedies that we see is defenseless victims. A law didn’t protect them, they needed a way to physically protect themselves. In America we see more deaths by hands, fists, feet even hammers.”

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