Summary
At a Lafayette, Indiana anti-Trump rally Saturday, a man pulled an assault-style rifle after clashing with protesters who blocked his truck at a Third Street intersection.
Video shows the man in a MAGA hat yelling at protesters, prompting another man—angered by the confrontation with women—to intervene.
The two exchanged shouts before the protester headbutted the man. He returned to his truck, retrieved a rifle, and reentered the crowd.
Police detained but released him, citing self-defense. The “Hands Off!” rally drew nearly 1,000 people and ended early amid safety concerns.
What was the actual model of rifle that this article discusses?
Nobody knows. The police didn’t say. There are no photos close enough to identify it.
So how do you know it wasn’t literally an assault rifle?
Because assault rifles (or any fully automatic rifles) are highly illegal in the US, and very rare in practice. If it was an assault rifle, its existence would have been as notable of a crime as his brandishing and threatening. The police would have been unlikely to let him go, would likely have confiscated the gun, and would have reported all that to the media.