The AR-15's high-velocity ammo travels up to three times the speed of sound and destroys organs and bones. (AP File)
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CBS “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley explains why the AR-15 — the most popular rifle in America — is overwhelmingly the weapon of choice for America’s mass shooters.
The AR-15’s high-velocity ammo travels up to three times the speed of sound, destroys organs and bones, and even shattered concrete at a 2017 church massacre in Texas.
In comparison, the ammo in a 9 mm handgun hits its target with half as much force and is far more likely to exit the human body, leaving behind a clean wound.
Assistant fire chief Rusty Duncan saw the carnage a mass shooter did with his semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in 2017.
“Ninety percent of the people were unrecognizable,” Duncan told Pelley. “The blood everywhere, it just covered them from head to toe.
“It was shattering concrete. You can only imagine what it does to a human body.”
Watch: Why Do Mass Shooters Choose the AR-15 Style Rifle?
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email
