Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Mocked for Getting Weight and Bullet Caliber of AR-15 Horribly Wrong While Calling for Ban
Democratic Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee incorrectly claimed this week that an AR-15 rifle typically fires .50 caliber ammunition, while also vastly exaggerating how much the firearm weighs.
Jackson Lee made the comments to reporters as part of her push for stricter gun control measures, as the Washington Examiner reported.
“I held an AR-15 in my hand, I wish I hadn’t,” the congresswoman said.
“It is as heavy as 10 boxes that you might be moving, and the bullet that is utilized, a .50 caliber, these kinds of bullets, need to be licensed and do not need to be on the street.”
Watch below:
A loaded AR-15 actually weighs between 7 and 8 pounds and typically fires .223 ammunition, which is significantly smaller than what Jackson Lee claimed.
While there are certain .50 caliber cartridges designed to be used in a modified version of an AR-15, according to The Daily Caller, these configurations are far from standard and are generally only useful for hunting.
Moreover, .50 caliber rounds are more commonly used by the military in heavy machine guns and in other weapons that are much larger and more cumbersome than the AR-15.
Twitter users were quick to react to the clip, with many jumping in to call out the inaccuracy of Jackson Lee’s claims.
For my non-gun peeps: claiming an AR-15 shoots .50 caliber bullets is as asinine as saying your car runs on orange juice.
Also, an AR-15 generally weighs somewhere between 7-8 pounds. So if 10 of your moving boxes weigh 8 pounds, you’re doing it wrong.pic.twitter.com/U71ir6BHZH
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) September 23, 2019
“For my non-gun peeps: claiming an AR-15 shoots .50 caliber bullets is as asinine as saying your car runs on orange juice,” TheBlaze’s Jason Howerton wrote.
“Also, an AR-15 generally weighs somewhere between 7-8 pounds. So if 10 of your moving boxes weigh 8 pounds, you’re doing it wrong.”
Security Studies Group president Jim Hanson was shocked by Jackson Lee’s ignorance.
The knowledge level of those who want to ban guns@JacksonLeeTX18
AR-15 “weighs as much as 10 moving boxes and fires a .50 cal round” pic.twitter.com/sTZlxXfuuM
— Jim Hanson (@Uncle_Jimbo) September 23, 2019
“The knowledge level of those who want to ban guns,” he tweeted.
Other users joined in on mocking Jackson Lee with some tongue-in-cheek humor.
.223 vs .50 cal. I can see why she’s confused. They’re so close in size. pic.twitter.com/rhAUZDnMpT
— ??⚡️UTChargerTom⚡️?? (@UTChargerTom) September 23, 2019
“I can see why she’s confused,” one user said. “They’re so close in size.”
Where did she get the .50 cal? My 6000lb AR-15 uses bullets so big, I can only carry one. pic.twitter.com/vkacSVEs0X
— Chihoowa’ oshi’ (@DroppinTheMitts) September 23, 2019
“Where did she get the .50 cal?” another user mocked. “My 6000lb AR-15 uses bullets so big, I can only carry one.”
I don’t know what the fook Sheila Jackson Lee is talking about with .50 cal AR-15s… but when y’all find them, I’ll take 3.
— Eric July (@EricDJuly) September 24, 2019
https://t.co/iuj5nRS3H2@JacksonLeeTX18 jackson lee
You need to learn what you are talking about before you open your mouth.
On the left is a .223 or NATO 5.56 round for an AR-15 and on the right is a .50 cal. pic.twitter.com/UIpoSevNcZ
— David F. (@1HoustonAtheist) September 22, 2019
Jackson Lee has long been a staunch critic of guns in general, and is currently working to push three gun control bills that she introduced in the House back in July.
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