Anti-gun Democrats have spent years thoroughly demonizing military-style semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15, even as that is arguably the most popular and prevalent rifle in widespread common use among the American citizenry.

Now one member of Congress, Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL), has filed legislation to specifically protect AR-15-style rifles from Democratic gun grabbers by formally designating the firearm as the National Gun of the United States, AL.com reported.

Designating the AR-15 as America's "National Gun"

The Republican congressman from Alabama traveled to a local gun store in his district on Tuesday, Family Firearms in the city of Troy, to unveil his legislation in a press conference.

The #SecondAmendment is as American a right as freedom of speech, religion, & the press.
Today I unveiled my bill to make the AR-15 the National Gun of America. We must send a message that we will meet every attack on any of our constitutional rights. pic.twitter.com/R7Yi6J10nh

— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) February 21, 2023

"The anti-Second Amendment group won’t stop until they take away all your firearms," Rep. Moore said in a press release. "One rule to remember: any government that would take away one right would take away them all."

"The Second Amendment is as American a right as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. Second Amendment rights are worth protecting and must not be infringed, and we must send a message that we will meet every attack on any of our constitutional rights," he added.

AR-15s are "America's Rifle" and the "Modern Musket"

Rep. Moore was joined by the owner of the Family Firearms store, Sonnie Parker, who said, "Every day we are battling those in Washington trying to take away our Second Amendment rights."

"We're extremely thankful for men like Congressman Barry Moore who are willing to go to war for us, stand up for our Second Amendment rights and battle those who continue to take those away from us," Parker added.

The full text of Rep. Moore's bill has not yet been revealed, but according to the congressional record, the purpose of the legislation is abundantly clear: "To declare an AR-15 style rifle chambered in a .223 Remington round or a 5.56x45mm NATO round to be the National Gun of the United States."

The designation of the AR-15 as the "National Gun" of the U.S. makes sense, at least among those who support the Second Amendment, given the rifle's increasing prominence and widespread common usage with tens of millions of such firearms in circulation -- so much so that AR-15s have already been dubbed "America's Rifle" and the equivalent of a "Modern Musket."

AR-15s are a "quintessential piece of Americana"

"The right to bear arms was so important to our founders that it was listed second in our Bill of Rights," Rep. Moore said during the press conference, according to The Troy Messenger. "The radical left does not care about constitutional rights when it conflicts with their anti-second amendment agenda."

"Second amendment rights are worth protecting and must not be infringed on," he continued. "We need to send a message that we will meet every attack on our constitutional rights head-on. The Biden Administration is skilled in using bureaucracy to restrict our rights."

"For nearly two decades unconstitutional and un-American anti-gun groups have specifically targeted the AR-15 despite it being a cornerstone of American culture for over 60 years," the congressman explained. "If a specific firearm is synonymous to Americana then it would be the AR-15. My bill, the 'AR-15 National Gun Act,' would simply write that into law designating that AR-15 style rifles chamber in .556 or .223 as the national gun of the United States."

"The AR-15 has been a quintessential piece of Americana for over six decades and this bill would recognize its most common configuration as our country’s national gun," Moore added.