Sandy Hook families take gun case to state Supreme Court

[Straw Man]

46. Wrong again, on several counts.

Now consider the article title excerpted above being 'A Study of the Ford Pinto'.... The Pinto was typical of the small cars that were rushed into production following the oil embargo of 1973. This kind of car delivered good gas mileage but often...

The name "Pinto" indicates a specific model of car. "Small cars that were rushed into production following the oil embargo of 1973" designates a kind of cars. The title of the article doesn't change that. The obvious referent of "this kind" is the only one of the two possible antecedents that is in fact a "kind." Add this to the rule of the closest antecedent and you have two reasons to think that the reference is not to the Pinto alone, nor is it to the AR-15 in the original example.

Quite reasonable to think 'this kind of car' referred back to the pinto.

Not reasonable at all. See above.

straw man: The rule for demonstrative pronouns like "this" is the same as the rule for all pronouns: when in doubt, they refer to the closest antecedent,

You agree that the sentence wording made what tupper was referring to 'in doubt', by your above wording. Thank you, you make my case. My reply took this doubt into account when I wrote my reply:

The doubt was yours alone. Rules exist to resolve doubt; doubt has been conclusively resolved -- see above.

You may, of course, chose to ignore the evidence and remain in doubt; that is your prerogative. But don't pretend that yours is a reasonable interpretation.