Gun Owner Goes Viral for Destroying His AR-15 After Florida School Shooting

A New York gun owner is attracting millions of views after posting a video of himself destroying his AR-15 assault rifle with a saw – and explaining why such guns need to be banned.

The viral video, which features Scott Pappalardo on his deck talking about the need to new gun control laws in the wake of the Florida school shooting, has been viewed more than 11 million times since he posted it on Saturday afternoon.

“I’ve decided today, I’m going to make sure this weapon will never be able to take a life. The barrel of this gun will never be pointed at someone. I mean, think about it. Is the right to own this weapon more important than someone’s life?” Pappalardo says in his video before cutting the gun into pieces with a power saw.

Pappalardo captioned the video saying, “My drop in a very large bucket #oneless.”

In the video Pappalardo noted similar weapons have been used in numerous mass shootings, including by suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz in Florida and Stephen Paddock in Las Vegas. He added that he chose not to sell the gun because it could still be used in a shooting or act of violence once it was in someone else’s hands.

Other gun owners are also showing that they’re getting rid of their rifles. Ben Dickmann posted photos of himself handing his AR-15 variant over to law enforcement at the Broward County Sheriff’s office, which has been working on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting case.

“I could have easily sold this rifle, but no person needs this. I will be the change I want to see in this world. If our law makers will continue to close their eyes and open their wallets, I will lead by example,” Dickmann said in his post.