Hear why life-long NRA member gave up his AR-15

Richard Small is a self proclaimed "NRA Republican" and long-time gun owner who says the Uvalde, Texas, shooting made him question why he owned an AR-15-style gun – a gun that has been used in multiple mass shooting in the US.
#ErinBurnettOutFront #CNN #Uvalde

80 comments

    1. The 2nd amendment says nothing about hunting so if you don’t know your own rights or what they mean you automatically loose all of your credibility in your argument on trying to take those rights away from others who understand and know they work for what they were intended for

    1. @Tom Beacher There’s nothing in the constitution to support ownership of military grade weapons or a collection of guns. One gun per household, or per adult, licensed, registered and correctly stored along with background checks would be sensible laws.

    2. @Bonnie do you not know the definition of arms? Its not the two things sticking out of your sleeves. The 2nd amendment is plain and simple you should really try to understand the constitution

  1. Thank you Richard for having the guts to stand up. You clearly have a conscience.
    I wish more like you come out to stop the sale of these weapons.
    ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ

    1. ol this comment thread is of hoards of people fighting against being free. You can be a proud Aussie and love Australia, but still agree the way politicians being being heavy handed against its own people and restricting movement out of ciites, states, and the country is like prison. And it was more directed to the politicians than the actual people who are suffering through lockdown.

    2. @Romanian Hustler Do you know anything about Australia? I live here and you make no sense. I’d much rather live in Australia than the USA. We are much freer.

  2. What an awesome man. Thoughtful and willing to change. God bless him. Now maybe others will stand up, too!

    1. @Bonnie That’s just name calling. That’s your entire position. In this time, no one would logically give up their weapons. Instead, they’d lock them under key, in case of BLM.

  3. Good for you sir. This man is honest. Thank you for coming forward. More people need to come forward. Common sense gun laws!

    1. @Bonnie some innocent men and women are weak and even handicapped and disabled so its good to have that advantage,even if your not weak its good to use every advantage possible to be the one to get to see your family again if you have a run in with an armed violent criminal

    2. i have purchased another 2 guns since the shooting. i am getting in before they start putting restricting sales.

  4. Stand up for the Children, this for the innocent. Children are still dying as we speak but keep the fight going for the Children.

  5. What a great man! Change needs to happen and he is leading the way. I hope other people are moved by your words and realize the same.

    1. Wait a minute I feel something yep I definitely feel it hallelujah I was moved right down the street to the local gun shop to pick up my new rifle to protect my family with through these messed up times we’re living in where laws on crime work backwards from what they should

    2. quite the opposite. i have purchased another 2 guns since the shooting and am eying off another couple of purchases before they change the legislation.

  6. I’m impressed. So it is possible, to turn around in a belief ,a way of life. A weapon of war and not for hunting. Sir,you made me feel hope again.๐Ÿ•Š๐Ÿณโ˜ฎโœŒ

  7. Mr. Small, I have NEVER taken the time to make a comment. But I am here to applaud you for sharing the truth. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am sick and tired of the politicians who dismiss mass shootings as a political issue. This is an ETHICAL and HUMANITARIAN issue. It is NOT political. I donโ€™t care about guns, in fact, I abhor them but Iโ€™m not stupid enough to argue for abolishing them. My political party – not chosen – has nothing to do with this. Iโ€™m not going to argue the second amendment (even though I believe it does not apply, literally, to an individualโ€™s right to bear arms. The second amendment was written at a very different time). I am not going to engage in the silly, distracting arguments as if a โ€˜one and doneโ€™ solution is all it takes (โ€œmental health support โ€œ! โ€œonly one door into the school!โ€ – and let everyone burn inside, when thereโ€™s a fire).ย 

    All I want is REASONABLE restrictions on gun ownership. For those of us who have raised children, we know that brains are NOT fully formed at age 18. WHY CAN AN IMMATURE BOY BE ALLOWED TO BUY A SEMI- or AUTOMATIC RIFLE?!? For those of us who are critical thinkers, we know that AR means Assault Rifle and the intent is not hunting or self defense. It is to KILL. I pray that you will be the catalyst to remove the false distraction that Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson and the NRA rely on. Thank you for having the courage to speak the truth.

    1. Hey I would love to see common sense as well, when you find someโ€ฆ. Let us know so we can show you how to use it.

    2. @cam f In 82 Britain retook the Falklands using a semi auto only version of the FN FAL, it performed much better than the select fire version of the same weapon used by the Argentinians. In recent military operations professional soldiers overwhelmingly used their personal weapon in semi auto mode, very occasionally in 3 round burst mode and almost not at all in full auto. My point? To say a semi auto only AR15 is not a military grade weapon is an obfuscation and distraction technique the gun lobby uses everytime there’s a school shooting and its only a partially correct statement too.

  8. To give an 18 year old a weapon that outmans police seems so illogical to me. Like they just assumed nothing bad would come of it.Really anyone but 18??

    1. @Ermeric Carolissen Well regulated means uniformly equipped, which is the opposite of the argument you think you’re making

    2. @r leeg Nonsense. Well regulated means to confirm to rules, to be controlled and supervised. Stop making up crap that has nothing to do with facts.

    3. @bird Well regulated isn’t the same thing as well maintained. I guess that the American education system isn’t working so great for you.

  9. Mass shootings in America have been slowly but surely normalized unfortunately….But when grade school mass shootings become normalized, these grandpas start to become activists. Kudos to you sir. May more of your fellow responsible law abiding gun owners know when things have to change!

    1. @Recreation I don’t understand the answer …they certainly were the issue in uvalde TX?!?!

  10. This man is an hero in my eyes. What heโ€™s done and said is more powerful than a hundred left wingers suggesting the same thing.

  11. Thank you Sir for standing up and giving up your gun. I’m Canadian and have not stepped in the U.S. since the mid 90’s because that was when I realized how many guns were there. Also, with the number of mass shootings, I’m too scared to go there anymore.
    It’s not a safe country in my eyes.
    Also, so many in the U.S. are claiming to be pro-life and wish to overturn Roe vs Wade, however, on the reverse want to basically turn schools into prisons because their rights are being violated when there are calls to ban guns of any kinds. Well what about the rights of all the children that have been massacred.. What about their rights to enjoy a normal, fun filled childhood and grow in happy productive adults Instead, they have to live in fear of just going to school. How does this make any sense? Why should people have to live in fear just to go grocery shopping because they might be killed. Why should anyone be afraid just by going to a shopping mall because they may be gunned down. Why should people be afraid to go to church.
    I’m really sorry but from a point of view coming from outside of the U.S., your country has started circling the drain. You might want to stop it before it’s too late
    (And ex president, who when finishes talking about what happened at the NRA convention, starts dancing) Makes me sick

  12. The thing that really broke me and questioned what the hell is happening to the world we live in was a story about a child in the uvalde shooting who took the blood of another dead child and smeared it onto herself to trick the shooter into believing she was dead. That broke me that, that’s what children have to do live another day in the us

    1. All the deniers were pointing fingers at mental illness. Well the list just grew. These kids will be impacted for life, oh FYI deniers, they will all develop symptoms, and spend the rest of their lives dealing with it. So deniers, you may be a victim some day from a victim of the past.

    2. Yeah that is Vietnam stuff…not 4th grade stuff. It’s so heartbreaking ๐Ÿ’”

    3. And she layed there waiting on good guys with guns who coward outside the room for an hour.

  13. I have followed so many gun violence stories in the news including Sandy Hook and Parkland but this latest one really affected me mentally. For days I couldn’t get the images out of my head. What struck me the most is the image in my mind of a nine year old being confronted by such a deadly weapon and there is nothing he or she could do. I was also struck by the fact that it was the end of school and they were all looking forward to having fun with their families. Please lets do something.

    1. Force Police to go in BEFORE the perp runs out of kids or bullets?
      How about that?
      MAKE the Police do their job!!!

    2. @Hairless Harescrambler
      “I have an AR-15”
      “I drive a big truck”
      “I’m a tough guy”
      “Yay!!!!!!!!!”

  14. Good for you, I wish it would affect more people and make them open their eyes to these tragedies.

  15. Righteous man standing for his values and not afraid to challenge his ideas. Big respect.

    1. @Ian Gascoigne …… but now he is giving it up as he realises his decision to buy one was wrong …… therefore, respect

  16. Richard Small, a man with a conscious and the ability for introspection who doesn’t need to vote along party lines. This is what a man should be. Bravo Mr. Small. If only more NRA and assault weapons were even close this gentleman.

    1. @Bill Barr he traded the $1,000 rifle to a so called buy back for a $100 dollar Walmart card then likely someone at the pd got to take it home,shows how smart he is but in his defense his name in the phone book would be Small Richard

    2. @Long Way Around Ethics are just subjective. Your ethics may be to make yourself defenseless, while someone else’s are to defend what they care about. Neither is right or wrong.

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