Banning the AR-15 wouldn’t stop tragedies

Letter writer Charlie Cook describes the damage a tiny “needle-nosed” bullet does to flesh in his April 27 letter, “Why an AR-15?” He is absolutely correct. What he described is called hydrostatic shock. You can think of it like a wake behind a speed boat.

With all the destructive power Mr. Cook described, if you were to take those tiny needle-nosed bullets out hunting in Pennsylvania, or most any other state, you’d be breaking the law. Those tiny, little needle-nosed bullets loaded in NATO cartridges used by the military, designed for the AR-15, are referred to as full metal jackets. That means that they stay needle-nosed after impact. They do not expand like a hunting-style bullet.

A hunting-style bullet is designed to expand, or mushroom, on impact. The expansion of the bullet delivers significantly more of the bullet’s kinetic energy to the target, creating a larger wound channel, more hydrostatic shock to quickly and humanely harvest a game animal.

The AR-15 is chambered for the 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem. cartridge. Most big game (deer or larger) hunters don’t even consider that for hunting, even with expandingtype bullets. Many states require a bullet diameter of .243/6mm or larger for big game.

Mr. Cook seems to think that the AR-15 is only a weapon of war, yet no military uses the AR-15 that I know of. Every style of firearm was at one point a weapon of war.

Mr. Cook goes on to recommend licenses for gun ownership, just like for cars. What will that accomplish? I read stories all the time of people arrested for driving without a license.

The media sensationalizing these tragedies is what makes them continue. Banning AR-15s will not solve the mental health issue. Someone sick in the head will just choose something else. JOHN BALL

Baden