During an August 19 campaign stop in North Carolina, Donald Trump shot an M4 rifle with Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell.
The M4 is a military/law enforcement AR-15 variant.
According to the Associated Press, Trump shot the rifle after “[stopping] by the gun range of the local Fraternal Order of Police lodge in Iredell County before a scheduled meeting at the lodge with law enforcement officers.” Afterward, Sheriff Campbell said, “This man can shoot.”
During a July 2015 interview with Ammoland, Trump was asked about Democrat and media-led efforts to ban “assault rifles,” especially AR-15s. He stated that he opposed such bans and suggested Democrat and media personalities are fixated on the rifle simply because it is one of America’s favorite guns. He said:
You mention that the media describes the AR-15 as an “assault rifle,” which is one example of the many distortions they use to sell their agenda. However, the AR-15 does not fall under this category. Gun-banners are unfortunately preoccupied with the AR-15, magazine capacity, grips, and other aesthetics, precisely because of its popularity.
by Awr Hawkins