Karen Mallard, who’s running for Congress in Virginia, certainly isn’t the first to take a saw to an AR-15 on YouTube, though her act certainly had some political motivation behind it.
We’d post her video of her sawing off the barrel with a grinder, but the video has since been taken down from YouTube — funny she’d do that. Fortunately, someone else snagged the video and re-uploaded it:
Here’s part of her blog post on her motivation:
You may have seen Emma Gonzalez’s amazing speech where she called out Trump and other politicians for taking NRA money and refusing to take any action on reforming America’s lax gun laws. The speech was amazing, and the fact that our young people are refusing to be silent victims and are demanding change gives me great hope. I believe gun reform can happen, and I stand with these students as they speak truth to power and march for their lives.
It’s also why my husband and I decided to destroy his AR-15.
Unfortunately, there are always those “right-wing trolls” to deal with, and they posted “mean-spirited talking points about the video.” Mainly, they pointed out that she’d illegally manufactured a short-barreled rifle.
Yesterday, Right Wing Trolls engaged in what appears to be a coordinated effort to overwhelm our campaign's social media accounts with mean spirited @NRA talking points about the video of myself destroying my family's AR-15 Assault Rifle. #Va02 #TeamMallard #NRAisAfraid #2
— Karen Mallard for VA Delegate 84th District (@mallardforva) March 8, 2018
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Instead of having a reasoned and well thought out debate on how we can #SafeguardOurChildren from mass shootings, these @NRA enthusiasts wanted to claim that the video that I posted showed me breaking the law. #3 #Va02
— Karen Mallard for VA Delegate 84th District (@mallardforva) March 8, 2018
They didn’t “want to claim” that she broke the law — they came right out and said it. But it’s all good now — she claims she turned in the inoperable components to law enforcement for disposal.
After I rendered our family's AR-15 inoperable, we turned all of the components of the destroyed assault rifle into law enforcement to be properly discarded. https://t.co/jA66hzUOrG #Va02 #GunReformNow #SafeguardOurChildren #5
— Karen Mallard for VA Delegate 84th District (@mallardforva) March 8, 2018
Mallard also appended a clarification to her blog post:
Update: a few people raised concerns that the AR-15 wasn’t rendered operational and that Karen had merely made it a short-barrel rifle. David later took the disassembled weapon to the local police station to have it properly disposed of.
Pardon us for saying so, but that’s why it’s so important to gun rights advocates that gun grabbers actually have some idea of the existing gun control laws in place before pushing through new ones.
https://twitter.com/EdReagan/status/971768485507485696
https://twitter.com/DraxxDaChamp2/status/971795574411309057
Most people don't vote for folks who video themselves committing crime.
— $lick|Nick (@NckMcC) March 8, 2018
It's facinating that this "teacher" is oblivious to the law…she didn't not make this AR-15 "inoperable" – she only shortened the barrel – making it an illegal weapon and her committing a felony…this level of incompetenceis what the @DNC would support running for Congress!? https://t.co/71H69YGTFv
— Tony Shaffer (@T_S_P_O_O_K_Y) March 8, 2018
1. It was not rendered inoperable
2. It was not destroyed
3. You crying about people "bullying" you doesn't change the FACT that this was illegal— General Lee0429 (@MattLee0429) March 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/SeanSm400/status/971789589965926401
You broke some federal laws modifying that rifle. #atf should come see you.
— daniel trent (@gruntdog21) March 8, 2018
She committed a felony and wants to run in your State. Felony charges should be forthcoming #Nick4VA
— Doug (@nighthawks84) March 8, 2018
This is @KarenMallard. She's running for congress in Virginia. She recently committed a felony in her ignorance about guns and gun laws. Don't be like Karen. pic.twitter.com/lc7SzEFdQ8
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) March 8, 2018
I hope you now see how easy it is for otherwise innocent and law abiding people to become victims of gun control laws. https://t.co/6p8s5L94hM
— Write Winger (@RealWriteWinger) March 8, 2018
Where’s the part of the video where you turned it into law enforcement? Post it. Video or it didn’t happen.
— LOOKSLIKEA? (@CWhi277) March 8, 2018
Let’s see the receipt of property from the police department.
* * *
Update:
WVEC reports that the right-wing trolls at the ATF have taken an interest in Mallard’s video:
#BREAKING: The ATF is investigating Democratic congressional candidate Karen Mallard (@mallardforva) after she posted a video on Facebook that shows her cutting apart an AR-15 rifle and thus creating a short barreled rifle which is an NFA regulated item.https://t.co/n91LNe6vII pic.twitter.com/ZGlm2yqq9z
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) March 9, 2018
Related:
Resistance dad and his incredibly woke kid share story of turning in their gun https://t.co/uJf1O302TK
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 23, 2018
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