A large part of the political debate after the school shooting in Örebro two weeks ago has been about weapons. Several parties want to tighten gun laws and at the center of the debate are semi-automatic weapons, such as the AR-15 carbine.
I've never really understood what they have to do with hunting? They are military weapons, says Leif GW Persson.
To demonstrate its powerful effect, Leif GW Persson will shoot the weapon in the premiere of "Veckan" on SVT tonight. The segment has already been recorded.
The air was literally filled with lead. I could never achieve that with my elk rifle, says Leif GW Persson.
Kill Many
Many have wanted to ban AR-15 and similar weapons because they are primarily intended for military use.
They are not made for shooting elk, but for taking out as many people as possible in enclosed spaces, like in a school, says Leif GW Persson.
But many hunters want to keep the weapon. GW doesn't understand that.
How a hunter with that opinion can take responsibility for all the bloody idiots who hunt is beyond my comprehension, because that's what he's actually doing.
Queen Silvia
Tonight's "Veckan" deals with the school shooting in Örebro. After the massacre, Queen Silvia wondered "What happened to the fine Sweden?".
What do you want to say to her?
Sweden has changed, it has. But I think people exaggerate the significance of that kind of event. They are terrible events, and not least for those affected, but it's not something that will make the nation go down on its knees.
A country doesn't go under because some idiots in northern Järva are running around shooting each other.
"Romanticized"
Leif GW Persson doesn't think much of those who think it was better in the "old fine Sweden".
Sweden was some kind of social and political role model in the 1950s and 1960s, but it's almost 100 years ago.
But was Sweden that much better before?
No, it wasn't. It's some kind of romanticized view of history.
Leif GW Persson notes that he grew up as a poor working-class boy in the 1950s and that many in his class didn't have the same opportunities to study further.
He doesn't think anyone should long for that world.
I don't believe that for a moment, because then they would be struck dumb when they saw how bloody poor and miserable it was. And dirty. People have always gotten better and better.
Mikael Forsell/TT
Facts: AR-15 and Semi-Automatic Weapons
TT
By semi-automatic weapons, we mean a weapon where you have to pull the trigger for each shot, but where the loading of the next shot occurs automatically, making it possible for rapid continuous fire. A skilled shooter can fire 45-60 shots per minute.
AR-15 (AR stands for Armalite Rifle) is a type of semi-automatic carbine that resembles its fully automatic military variants. The weapon is becoming increasingly popular among Swedish shooters and hunters. Since August 1, 2023, that type of weapon has been allowed for hunting in Sweden.
AR-15 weapons have been used in several high-profile mass murders around the world, including the school shooting in Newtown in 2012 and Parkland in 2018, as well as the attack on Donald Trump last summer.
Source: National Encyclopedia, Jakt & Jägare magazine.
