In a recent Opinion (“Assault Weapons,” Fountain Hills Times, July 12), Harry Hover offered his views about “assault weapons.” After his own curious definition, he asks readers, “What part of ‘assault weapons’ don’t people understand?”

It is not complicated, Mr. Hover. The matter is simple. Let me educate you. The rifle used by the military is the M16. It is an automatic weapon, a machine gun. As long as you hold the trigger, an M16 will continuously fire until the magazine is empty. This is what an “assault weapon” is and it is restricted to the military. Civilians can’t buy it.

There is a civilian rifle called the AR-15 and this is where the confusion sets in. The two guns look alike. The AR-15, however, is very different in that it is a semi-automatic weapon, one shot per trigger pull. As such, the AR-15 is not a military weapon, as Mr. Hover mistakenly believes. The military does not use the civilian gun precisely because it is not an automatic rifle. Bottom line: These AR-15 civilian guns are not the military-style assault weapons Hover references. Is that clear?

Going further down the rabbit hole, Mr. Hover believes that the Second Amendment is limited to the military (“the militia”). He goes on to state, “Please don’t give me the spurious Second Amendment argument.” No argument, just facts. The Supreme Court ruled in the Heller decision (2008) that the term “militia” in the Second Amendment refers to the people and is not limited to an organized military unit. Mr. Hover’s argument here was rendered moot by the Supreme Court in 2008, 15 years ago. To avoid confusion, I think that it is important to keep up with current events, even those over a decade old. I’m happy to have provided some clarity.