Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera has come under intense criticism for suggesting that the “AR” part in the name “AR-15” means “automatic rifle,” when in reality it means “ArmaLite Rifle.” ArmaLite is the company that first manufactured the gun.
A 31-second Twitter video captures the mistake Rivera made during a discussion with host Greg Gutfeld. The argument between the two hosts stems from President Joe Biden’s recent controversial comments declaring, “Need F-15s not AR-15s to take on government.” The argument comes against the backdrop of the wider national debate on gun control.
Geraldo began the discussion by suggesting that people buy AR-15s to look cool and macho, stating, “It makes macho, the people who possess it, oh look at me, I’m a big deal.”
Gutfeld quickly fires back, reminding Geraldo, “It’s a rifle!”
“It’s not a rifle Greg!” Geraldo hollers back to Gutfeld.
Gutfeld responds, “Yes, it’s a rifle. What does AR stand for?”
Geraldo looks squarely at Gutfeld and confidently states, “Automatic rifle”.
The response from Geraldo was met with awkward silence as Gutfeld quietly tells him, “No, no that’s not what it is.”
READ MORE: Biden says gun owners would need F-15s and nukes to take on the US gov’t
Geraldo then concludes by stating, “All I know is that AR-15s have no place in American society, other than sport clubs.”
Twitter users were quick to voice their reactions and disapproval at Geraldo’s comments. One user wrote, “@GeraldoRivera Google is free….” and included a link explaining what “AR” stands for.
Another Twitter user commented, “Did Al Capone’s vault have a lot of these weapons in it?” The Twitter user was referring to Geraldo’s infamous 1986 TV special “The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults” in which Geraldo attempted to discover hidden treasure in a secret vault once owned by Chicago gangster Al Capone, only to find no treasure and only a couple of broken bottles.
