Rep Sheila Jackson Lee Claims AR-15’s ‘Weigh as Much as 10 Boxes’ and Fire .50 Caliber Bullets’

There’s a famous saying which warns the wise not to interrupt one’s enemies when they are making a mistake. This describes the Democrats every time they open their mouths to talk about guns.

Recently the Democrat representative from Texas, Shelia Jackson Lee, made some particularly embarrassing statements about AR-15s. In a clip shared on YouTube which you can see below, Jackson Lee said, “I held an AR-15 in my hand. I wish I hadn’t. 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.”

While these remarks are amusing, this kind of sentiment is typical of the levels of ignorance about firearms that is common among lawmakers who wish to abolish the constitutional protections for our right to self-defense.

It’s also scary considering she is a lawmaker and is in charge of writing and voting on firearm bills that the rest of us have to abide by.

Earlier this year, Jackson Lee introduced a slew of gun control bills in the House of Representatives that prohibit firearms chambered for calibers higher than .50. These bills also prohibit citizens from storing weapons of .50+ caliber in a home where anyone under the age of 18 is likely to access them without permission.

Dana Loesch, the former NRA spokeswoman, and radio host shared a post by Jason Howerton of The Blaze in which he asked, “How are these people qualified to write legislation on this when they demonstrate such cluelessness?”

This would appear to be the operative question, and naturally leads one to the next question Howerton asks, “Is it ignorance? Or is it malevolence?”

This is a question that we could explore at some length. When you look at the ways firearms are portrayed in TV and film, and when you consider that fact that Hollywood and the Democrats link arms to promote the same terrible ideas, you start to see the connection between ignorance about guns and the promotion of anti-second amendment laws.

In movies and TV, guns are portrayed as a final solution to any problem. People shot on-screen fly through windows, and are killed with single shots to the abdomen and so on. Not only are guns portrayed as being much more powerful than they are, but they are also romanticized as dark and terrible problem solvers.

It’s no wonder brooding teens who have been bullied for years look at guns as a means to their ultimate revenge when guns are portrayed as magically effective revenge machines. And, it’s no wonder someone like Jackson Lee would assume that the gun she fears most would also accept the largest cartridges she can probably imagine.

In response to Jackson Lee’s comments, the NRA tweeted, “It is unfortunate that someone as ill-informed as Rep. Sheila @JacksonLeeTX18 will be holding a hearing on Wednesday to determine how she can further restrict our rights.”

Of course, Jackson Lee is far from the only Democrat lawmaker who has expressed physical revulsion to guns and an acute lack of understanding about how they work or what they are capable of. In recent years, I’ve seen numerous examples of lawmakers attempting to signal their virtue by expressing opinions to the effect that guns are darkly alluring, demonic death wands that only a hideous person would ever want to handle.

While an AR-15 weighs seven to nine pounds and fires either a 5.56mm or .223 caliber round, it’s unlikely that Jackson Lee has moved any boxes.

We believe, lawmakers should be required to become competent handlers of firearms before legislating on them.