Video: Dem. Congressional Candidate Under Investigation After Cutting AR-15 for Gun Control
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.09.18
In a video on Facebook, a Democrat candidate for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District wanted to make her position on guns perfectly clear. The only thing is, she seemingly didn’t look into the legality of her public protest, and is now being investigated by The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Karen Mallard states in her video that she “grew up in Wise County, surrounded by guns. Our family had guns my whole life. We use them for hunting, for protection, and recreation.”
She explains how her husband apparently purchased an AR-15 “a while back,” and that she was not happy about it, so she decided she was going to do something about it.
Not long after Mallard posted the video, thousands of comments began pouring in – mostly to point out the fact that the potential lawmaker may have just committed a federal crime by illegally producing and possessing a short-barreled rifle. Many also accused Mallard of political grandstanding.
According to WUSA9, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Beach Police Department, said the firearm was turned over to the department and the ATF was “looking into the situation.”
Mallard insists she did nothing wrong and followed legal procedure in disposing the weapon. She wrote on Facebook:
“And yes for all the NRA trolls out there, I finished the job according to regulation and turned it over to the police. Why are you more outraged about me taking a gun out of circulation than about our children being murdered in our schools?“
