Reality Check: Connecticut Shooter Did Not Use Automatic Weapons

Reports indicate the Connecticut shooter had three firearms in his possession when he drove to the school on Friday — a Glock 9mm, a Sig Sauer 9mm, and an AR-15 (reportedly a Bushmaster).

That’s two handguns (Glock and Sig Sauer) and one rifle (AR-15).

These are semi-automatic weapons only, which is a fancy way of saying they fire one bullet every time you pull the trigger.  NONE OF THEM ARE AUTOMATIC WEAPONS.

This begs the question, why in the world did Rupert Murdoch send out a text hours after the shooting that read:  “Terrible news today. When will politicians find the courage to ban automatic weapons?” 

Although only semi-automatic, it is important to note that Lanza broke Connecticut laws by possessing the handguns, because you have to have a permit to own and carry a handgun in Connecticut. The paperwork on both handguns was in his mother’s name, which means the guns weren’t even his to possess and he had no permit carry (he was not legally eligible for a permit to carry because he was only 20 — you have to be 21 to get that permit).

Regarding the AR-15 it is what politicians commonly call an “assault rifle” (although the “AR” does not stand for that). It has a completely different set of Connecticut laws by which its owner must abide, many of which Lanza broke just by taking the gun into his possession, transporting it to a school, and transporting it in a way other than is legally stipulated for the transport of an assault rifle in Connecticut.

Glock, Sig Sauer, and Bushmaster make some of the most popular guns in the U.S. and the world. And these semi-automatic weapons didn’t cause the crime that happened Friday. Far from it, they were illegally used in a crime by a mad man named Adam Lanza.