GOP congressman claims Americans need AR-15s to fend off 'foxes' and 'raccoons'

Ken Buck.
(Image credit: Chris Schneider/Getty Images)

So much for the argument about forming a well-regulated militia to oppose the tyranny of the state, or protecting one's self from a home invasion. The debate over the Second Amendment may ultimately boil down to how people feel about woodland creatures.

During a hearing Wednesday on how to end the gun violence epidemic plaguing the United States, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) defended the right for AR-15s to remain in the hands of civilians because many people — including those in his eastern Colorado district — use them to shoot and kill foxes and raccoons who are "disturbing agriculture" or going after farmers' chickens.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.