U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw is taking heat from both sides of the political aisle since the shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, for comments on social media in which he extols virtues of the AR-15 assault-style rifle for self-defense, and voices support for red flag laws that take guns away from people found to be a danger to themselves or others.
First, Crenshaw, a Houston Republican in his first year in office, found himself at the center of criticism from Democrats after a video was released via YouTube the day before the shooting in which Crenshaw says AR-15 rifles are a good choice for self-defense.
“The reality is that an AR-15 type weapon is the most effective weapon for ranges up to 20 to 30 feet, which by the way is the size of your living room if you’re trying to defend your home,” said Crenshaw, who represents the 2nd Congressional District that stretches from West Houston to Humble and Atascocita.
On the video he says if someone is not that good with a weapon, the AR-15 is the best chance for hitting an intruder in your home in a high stress situation.
“The chance of you hitting that target with just a pistol are very, very low,” Crenshaw says.
The video was produced for The Daily Caller, a conservative news outlet founded by FOX News personality Tucker Carlson. After the shootings on Saturday, The Daily Caller took the video off its website, but left the YouTube video up.
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