Washington Times columnist, National Rifle Association board member, and prominent Mitt Romney supporter Ted Nugent is speaking out on last week's horrific mass shooting in Aurora, CO, declaring that there were “no assault weapons used in the CO shooting only universally proven sporting & self defense firearms.”

Nugent also praised the “brave warriors who saved lives” during the massacre adding, “IF only they would hav had a good gun.” 

Last night, Nugent tweeted:

This afternoon, he added:

One of the guns the alleged shooter carried was an AR-15-style semi-automatic assault weapon, which reportedly may have been illegal to purchase under the federal assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. The alleged shooter used a high-capacity 100-round drum magazine that would have been illegal under that statute.

The gun industry trade association National Shooting Sports Foundation frowns on the use of terminology like “assault weapon” and “assault rifle,” preferring the term “modern sporting rifle.” Even some gun bloggers find such language ineffective and “O[r]wellian.”