to intentionally mischaracterize something. One of them certainly appears to be in the wake of such shooting tragedies when facts become optional.
I doubt any soldier would go into harms way choosing a .223 Bushmaster over an M4. Why is that? Because the civilian .223 Bushmaster lacks critical capabilities (such as the ability to put down suppressing fire -- in case you are wondering, that is what an "automatic" weapon gets you).
A .223 Bushmaster is small caliber, semi-automatic rifle that is not that different from a .22 long rifle -- a ubiquitous rifle and round used for small game hunting. Any gun can be as dangerous as the person holding it wants to be.
