Democrat Eric Swalwell Calls for Buyback of All AR-15s

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) used a Monday post on X to call for a buyback of AR-15s and firearms that Democrats refer to as “assault weapons.”

He also wants a ban in place to keep future AR-15s from being manufactured or sold.

Swalwell posted:

The attacker that struck the Jacksonville Dollar General on Saturday was armed with a Glock handgun and an AR-15-style rifle. Therefore, banning the rifle would not have prevented the attack from occurring.

Moreover, on October 10, 2022, Breitbart News reported FBI data showing more than twice as many people were killed with knives and other cutting tools than were killed with rifles in 2021.

Additionally, on October 11, 2022, Breitbart News pointed to FBI data showing more people were beaten to death with fists and feet in 2021 than were killed with rifles.

It is important to understand that the rifle category includes rifles of every kind: lever action, pump action, single shot, semi-automatic, bolt action, and the rifles that Democrats refer to as “assault weapons.”

The latest figures from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) show there were more AR/AK-style firearms in circulation “than Ford F-Series trucks on the road” as of July 21, 2022. The NSSF estimate, published by Breitbart News, showed nearly 24.5 million such firearms were in circulation at the time.

WATCH — AWR Hawkins: Here’s the Difference Between an AR-15 and “Assault Weapon”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..