Michelle Bachmann’s Radio AR-15 Rhetoric

See her narrowly escape a “shoulder thing that goes up” incident:

Sure she might be pro gun… but bottom line is she’s just another politician in it for her own personal gain.

It’s obvious she’s talking about something she has little more than a basic understanding of.  I’m not going to be so ignorant as to blame it on the fact that shes a woman, because lots of women would be able to tell you how many rounds a standard AR-15 magazine holds… that’s basic stuff.  It’s not like the interviewer asked her the difference between a milspec and commercial buffer tube.

Things like this are exactly why I avoid politics and politicians.   Sarah Palin is one in the same when it comes to “look at me, I like guns! Vote for me if you do too!”

Thoughts?

Hat tip: Heath


Comments

30 responses to “Michelle Bachmann’s Radio AR-15 Rhetoric”

  1. Gun laws are about the only thing Bachmann and I agree on as far as social issues go.

    RON PAUL 2012

    1. “It’s an automatic two-twenty-two”
      The guy interviewing her is uneducated. He probably would have scored higher if he had said, “five-five-sechs”

      1. Ernest Young Avatar
        Ernest Young

        “Is it a legal magazine?”
        As opposed to what? As far as I know, unless you live in California, you can have a 60,000 round magazine for your AR and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

        (Hmmm, 60,000 round magazine, need to patent that :) )

        Also, loved the “that’s a combat weapon”, REALLY, last time I checked the U.S military used M16s and M4s, neither of those are AR-15s.
        And the “…but, it can be made automatic”
        Well yeah, but so can a fucking fucking bolt action with enough work. It’s not like you can just grab an AR-15 from the local walmart, take it home and have a machine gun 10 minutes later. Thats not how it works.

        1. Also, loved the “that’s a combat weapon”, REALLY, last time I checked the U.S military used M16s and M4s, neither of those are AR-15s.

          Wasn’t the original AR-15, produced by Armalite, a select-fire rifle designed for military use? I think Armalite sold the rights/design to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt and the AR-15 was later adopted by the military and designated the M-16. So, the intention of the AR-15 was that it be a “combat weapon.”

          Maybe the radio host isn’t that far off in that respect. But, if Bachmann’s favorite rifle is the AR-15, why didn’t she correct him when he said it was a .222? Oh, I know why, because she’s an idiot. Doesn’t know where the Revolutionary War started, singles out someone she calls a “founding father” who was a child at the time of the founding of this country, and the list goes on and on… What really baffles me is that she has a campaign staff that should be fact-checking stuff for her before she makes statements; do they just let her run wild because it’s funny?

            1. ENDO-Mike Avatar
              ENDO-Mike

              rofl that’s amazing

          1. +1 You are right

        2. Actually, M16s and M4s are technically variations of the AR15 rifle. AR-15 refers to the base rifle Armalite 15, which all variants are versions of.

          So, the military does use AR15s.

    2. I saw a picture of Rick Santorum “hunting” with a conspicuously placed NRA hat, and it made me want to puke. His hunting duds might as well have still had the tags on them. I hate it when politicians go duck hunting as a nod to the shooting community. Like I give a rat fuck about shooting greasy ass ducks.

      Ron Paul 100%

  2. I completely agree. I hate when politicians pander to us for votes by pretending to have something in common with people. They do it all the time too. “I am [religious denomination] who enjoys [part of bill of rights] and worked hard as [inner city/dying rural community] youth but still grew up with [values/morals/beliefs/ethics].” Which is why I also agree with Austin up there. Elected officials are there to protect our rights, not take any of them away. I will not compromise on my rights, or anyone the rights of anyone else regardless of whether I like that person or group. Carlin was right. We don’t have rights, we have a list of temporary privileges. Each year that list gets shorter. Rights aren’t rights if someone can take them away.

    1. Also, as an Iowan, Steve King can go die in a fire.

  3. Jusuchin (Military Otaku) Avatar
    Jusuchin (Military Otaku)

    I’ve yet to see a politician or appointed official to really be pro-gun beyond askign the NRA for their endorsement. Well, a few, but they were prior service and know about guns, but they’re not too keen on shooting while being a pol.

    Maybe if I go into politics I can be the first. That might make me carry the non Liberal parts of Virginia. Congressman as a hunting buddy. XD;;

  4. Skinnnerrrrrr Avatar
    Skinnnerrrrrr

    Sarah Palin is probably the worst when it comes to this stuff. I watched a clip (not an actual one that would be boring) from her show where she was hunting elk with some bolt action rifle and she had her dad operating and reloading the bolt for her because she did not know how.

  5. battlewagon Avatar
    battlewagon

    I’m not a huge fan of Bachman and the other overtly religious R’s, theocrats spent enough time trying to kill me in Iraq and Afghanistan that I am a little sensitive about god talk in politics.

    That being said I think not being fluent in guntalk is probably not all that important in the grand scheme of things. I consider my wife a well above average female gun owner and I gave her a pop quiz, when I asked her how many rounds an AR mag held she said 20 (we don’t own any 20 rounders) and when I asked her the caliber she said she knew it was a Nato round but the best she could do was “3…..2….3? (all of our ARs are 5.56 but I’m pretty sure she meant 223)

    Yeah Bachmann probably being a little disingenuous in order to get votes from single issue voters when she doesn’t know basic stuff about what she calls her favorite firearm but as far as I’m concerned her only positive aspect is her voting record on firearms legislation.

    1. Ernest Young Avatar
      Ernest Young

      Female gun owners can be JUST as fluent and knowledgeable as men. My fiance can give you the dimensions of the 8mm Nambu bullet or casing. She can also rattle off almost EVERY model of German P08 and P04 Luger that ever existed from 1904 onward (including the differences between each version usually she includes a short anecdote about why the changes were made too).

      She impresses me beyond belief. Hell, I don’t even know what SHE’S talking about sometimes, and my father was gunsmith with an FFL 7 / SOT 2. I grew up with this shit and she still manages o blow me away sometimes (which is really funny considering that I introduced her to guns only about 3 years ago (she didn’t fire her first gun until June before last)).

      All, I’m saying is that the statement about your wife being an “above average female gun owner” and then going on to say that she dosent remember much or know very much, seems a little pejorative.

      1. I agree with this statement here. My fiance doesn’t even LIKE guns, but after all the useless trivia I’ve drilled into her head she can certainly beat Bachmann at a game of NRA Trivial Pursuit.

  6. The AR 16 is a civilian version of of a modern gas operated repeating rifle. Nothing special or spooky about it. I hate when people say shit like “Ohhh that’s an assault rifle.”

    Blah. She just said that so she could swing some votes.

  7. battlewagon Avatar
    battlewagon

    it wasn’t pejorative, it was anecdotal. My wife shoots better than most male shooters I know, that includes most of guys I knew in the military, she just isn’t an enthusiast in the same way that many male gun owners are and I feel that goes for a lot of probably a minority of female gun owners. I know many women who shoot, who like firearms but I don’t know a single one who I would call truly knowledgeable about firearms, even some of the ones I shoot competitively with.

    I don’t think it’s a gender thing, I think it’s cultural, there’s a lot less females than males who are interested in firearms, although that number has thankfully been in the increase, hence a lot fewer truly knowledgeable women out there. Hell the average *male* shooter isn’t all that knowledgeable, and just because you are married to female who appears to be a statistical outlier doesn’t change the bell curve. So like I said, it’s not pejorative, hell, when it comes to instruction I generally *prefer* to teach females. Instead of trying to overcome a mild frisson of macho bullshit to get through to people women in my experience tend to *gasp* listen to the words that come out of your mouth and do the things that you tell them to do. In our culture firearms are more traditionally a male centered endeavor and a lot of males try very hard to convince themselves that they already know exactly what they are doing when this is often the opposite of the truth.

    I agree with the premise of the original post, I think Michelle Bachmann is obviously not all that well informed, that doesn’t change her voting record on gun rights. I’d rather have a *real* enthusiast running in her place but beggars can’t be choosers and I doubt most of the other candidates are much better when it comes to firearms trivia.

    1. Ernest Young Avatar
      Ernest Young

      I’d rather have a politician like Ron Paul than a crazy overly-religious nutjob like Bachman (or a dunce like Palin). Lastly, I’ve met conservatives that don’t like guns either, don’t instantly claim all liberals hate guns, or all gun haters are liberals, neither of these are true statements.

      1. Ernest Young Avatar
        Ernest Young

        Sorry, meant that as a response to Cruzmoose

  8. Cruzmoose Avatar
    Cruzmoose

    Long time reader, first time poster here.

    With all due respect to the other commentators here, shouldn’t we be at least slightly thankful?

    I understand we may have our differences with many pro-gun politicians in other policy areas or that, sure, they look dopey sometimes talking about how pro-gun they are, but shouldn’t we be happy that we have public figures that make no qualms over there love, voting and advocacy for our second amendment rights?

    I’ll take Bachmann, Santorum, and Palin any day over the liberals that label gun enthusiast as right-wing militia radicals.

    1. So we should be thankful that our politicians are lying to us about being gun enthusiasts?

      To me this just reinforces the idea that mainstream politicians are only mouthpieces for the party line and either don’t think about what they advocate or don’t have the balls to say what they REALLY think. This is honestly no different than ‘the shoulder thing that goes up’. It’s a politician blowing smoke up our ass.

      1. Cruzmoose Avatar
        Cruzmoose

        So there’s not a single politician that supports the second amendment?

      2. Why are politicians required to be “gun enthusiasts”? As long as they are “gun leave me the hell alone-ists” that’s fine with me, and a damn sight better than some dude who thinks I’m a potential terrorist because I want to own a rifle. No one in the real world, who’s made a career of participating in glorified popularity contests, is ever going to tell you what they really think.

        I’m not so enamored of my own special unique snowflake-ness that I need a politician to validate or participate in the exercise of my rights, just to respect them.

        1. Cruzmoose Avatar
          Cruzmoose

          You know, I totally agree. Politicians just need to leave us the hell alone and let us live our lives peacefully.

          The problem is, a lot don’t want to leave us alone; there are some that would like to take them away and abolish them. Since we’re all stuck in the middle of a culture war over the second amendment, I would personally prefer representatives that advocate my beliefs on gun rights instead of them being quite and sitting on the sidelines about it.

  9. Well, she’s out of the presidential race, so now the only thing I have to worry about is her election to the House. Wonder if she’ll run again?

  10. Cartridgeholder Avatar
    Cartridgeholder

    I need to invent the .222 cartridge ASAP.

    1. I need to invent the .222 cartridge ASAP.

      I think Remington did that a long time ago.

      1. Cartridgeholder Avatar
        Cartridgeholder

        Darn. But I can still make an AR-15 in that caliber!