Senator Dianne Feinstein, who employed a Chinese spy for two decades, is suddenly an expert on firearms - particularly which ones American plebs shouldn't be able to own based on their use and effectiveness in home defense scenarios.

In a June 14 op-ed in TIME that she co-authored with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the 85-year-old Democrat calls for a total ban on AR-15s and similar rifles (that look particularly menacing and are used in a fraction of homicides).

"Guns like the AR-15 aren't used for hunting and they're not viable for home protection. They have only one purpose, and that’s to fire as many rounds as possible, as quickly as possible," reads the piece. "Outlawing these weapons, an action supported by 60 percent of Americans, will bring down the number of mass shootings and reduce the number of casualties, just as it did when the ban first passed in 1994."

As the Washington Free Beacon's resident firearms instructor Stephen Gutowski pointed out on Monday, that's a load of crap.

Here are 8 examples of AR-15s being used for home and self-defense, for those curious. Senator Feinstein's statement is demonstrably false. https://t.co/MMUQ67ljFX — Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) June 17, 2019

Is this 'AR Pistol' is viable for home defense, Dianne?

Tactical Life Micro AR Pistol

Hunting...

While AR-15s are indeed used for hunting, there are several states which don't allow them - or the .223 diameter (or 5.56MM) bullet they fire for hunting because it is a relatively low-powered round considered unsuitable to make a humane kill on larger game.

Former NRA president David Keene notes in a 2013 Human Events op-ed:

AR 15s are good for hunting. Some buy an AR for home defense and about six percent of buyers are either collectors or varmint hunters. The standard AR is illegal in most states for deer and big game hunting because it is not considered powerful enough to reliably put down deer-sized or larger game, but is used for coyote, wolf and feral pig hunting in many states. -Human Events

Keene also pointed out that more people are beaten to death than killed by all types of rifles.

And you shouldn't be able to own one, according to Dianne Feinstein.