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Gun Enthusiast Destroys Prized Firearm to Protest Gun Violence, Challenges Others to Do Same

Despite destroying his assault rifle, Chad Vachter wants to make clear that he still supports the second amendment and will keep his shotgun and pistol

A Southern California man, fed up with the growing number of mass shootings across the U.S., decided to do his part to help end gun violence by destroying his AR-15, NBC affiliate WFLA reported.

Riverside County resident Chad Vachter smashed his assault rifle to pieces with a sledgehammer, taking a symbolic stance on destroying gun violence.

Vachter captured the destruction of his thousand-dollar prized possession on video.

"I can’t have something in my house that so easily could become a part of another situation like that," he said in the video. "I’m not going to be desensitized to it. I refuse to."

Vachter said he "had enough" after a shooting spree in Northern California that left five people dead and injured 10 others, including seven children, and decided he wanted to take action.

"Although I’m still sad for all those victims and all the people affected, I feel like I’ve done the only thing that I can do in this equation," he said. "Even if it’s just a small thing, I did my part to make things better."

The gun enthusiast said he supports the Second Amendment and plans on keeping his shotgun and pistol. However, he is challenging other gun owners to destroy their assault weapons as well.

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