Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who led the allied forces in Afghanistan, expressed firm support for gun control Tuesday.
“I spent a career carrying typically an M16 or an M4 Carbine [rifle],” he said on CNBC’s “Morning Joe.” When an M4 Carbine bullet “hits a human body, the effects are devastating,” McChrystal said.
“It’s designed for that. That’s what our soldiers ought to carry. I personally don’t think there’s any need for that kind of weaponry on the streets and particularly around the schools in America.”
The AR-15, a civilian version of an M-16 or M-4, was used in many recent mass shootings, including those in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Col. The Newtown massacre last month has led President Barack Obama and others to call for strong gun control. But many, including the National Rifle Association, are opposed.
As for McChrystal, “We’ve got to take a serious look — I understand everyone’s desire to have whatever they want — but we’ve got to protect our children, we’ve got to protect our police, we’ve got to protect our population,” he said.
“Serious action is necessary. Sometimes we talk about very limited actions on the edges and I just don’t think that’s enough. . . . The number of people in America killed by firearms is extraordinary compared to other nations, and I don’t think we’re a bloodthirsty country.”
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