But the AR-15's creator died before the weapon became a popular hit
Sorry, but you lost your credibility right there!
And, frankly other than as more emotion fueled drivel pumped out by NBC (and others) just what relevance do you think the THOUGHTS of his children and grandchildren MATTER???
Somehow, I have a sneaking suspicion that if Stoner had really had a strong opposition to civilian sales, he might had said so in the 40+ YEARS between the offering of his rifle for civilian sales and his death.
He did cash his royalty checks, did he not???
And though he made millions from the design, his family said it was all from military sales.
So, he didn't get a penny from Colt's civilian sales??? Which began in the 1960s??
But after Stoner's death in 1997, at the age of 74, a semi-automatic version of the AR-15 became a civilian bestseller
Yes, sales of the AR-15, which had been a moderate seller, took off, AFTER Congress passed the AWB and tried to BAN them in 94. Forbidden fruit is very popular.
The bullets that tore through the Pulse nightclub in Orlando were Stoner's .223 rounds,
Really, the Orlando shooter got his ammo from a guy who died in 97??
Stoner didn't design the .223. The US ARMY did. Stoner's original design was in .222 Remington (A non-military sporting round - which does beg the question, IF he really designed it as a military ONLY arm, why did he chamber it in a non-military caliber???)
The military, not really wanting the AR, but being forced to accept it from the MacNamara Defense Dept, chose an ammo specification that the .222 Rem could not meet (in hopes of getting the whole idea quashed, perhaps??). The one commercially available round that could meet the desired specs was the .222 Remington Magnum, but too bad, it was a little bit too long to fit in an AR-15.
End result, they came up with the 5.56mm (.223 Rem) which could meet the specs demanded and fit in the AR-15.
I'm sure Stoner has some input on modifying his design for the .223, but he didn't design the round.
The article is full of inaccurate statements, partial truths, supposition and baseless opinion, done to try and convince us that the AR was meant to be a "weapon of war" and not for "civilians".
Even if this WERE true,
Guess what CITIZENS, we have the right to "weapons of war" read the Founding Fathers...