GOP Senator John Thune Seriously Thinks People Need AR-15s To ‘Shoot Prairie Dogs And Other Varmints’

If you think a legitimate reason to own an AR-15 is to “shoot varmints,” you might be a redneck Senator John Thune.

Borrowing a page from fellow GOP Congressman Ken Buck, Thune told reporters he believed the deadly weapon — which has been used in 11 of the last 12 mass shootings — was the best form of defense against “prairie dogs and other varmints” which is why he’s wary any kind of gun reform. Buck stuck to a similar deflection tactic when asked about America’s painfully obvious gun problem, claiming people in his state needed AR-15s to protect their chickens from raccoons.

“An AR-15 is a gun of choice for killing raccoons before they get to our chickens,” Buck said in a video posted on social media.

In Thune’s case, the senator from South Dakota explained away the “millions” of AR-15s already owned by Americans by claiming that there are “many legitimate reasons” to own the military-style weapon.

“They are a sporting rifle,” Thune said. “And it’s something that a lot of people for purposes of going out target shooting — in my state they use them to shoot prairie dogs and, you know, other types of varmints. And so I think there are legitimate reasons why people would want to have them.”

So in case you’re a bit fuzzy on where Thune and some of his GOP colleagues stand when it comes to gun control, let’s clear it up: the right to shoot small, furry animals while cosplaying as some kind of Call of Duty character is more important to these people than saving the lives of children, the elderly, and really anyone hoping to go see a movie or get groceries or attend school without the fear of a shooting.