UPDATED: Intentional? ABC Edits First Lady's Claim About 'Automatic Weapons

First Lady Michelle Obama during a Tuesday broadcast of ABC's "Good Morning America" claimed that 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who had just returned from performing in the president’s second inauguration, was tragically shot and killed in Chicago by an "automatic weapon."

“She was standing out in a park with her friends in a neighborhood blocks away from where my kids…grew up, where our house is. She had just taken a chemistry test,” the First Lady said, according to ABC News' website. “And she was caught in the line of fire because some kids had some automatic weapons they didn’t need [emphasis added].”

“I just don’t want to keep disappointing our kids in this country. I want them to know that we put them first,” she added.

However, contrary to the First Lady’s claim, authorities believe Pendleton’s accused attacked used a semi-automatic handgun and say he shot into the crowd “at least six times”  before "fleeing in a waiting car," the Associated Press reports.

"It is extremely unlikely that the murder weapon was an automatic handgun, an extremely rare occurrence, even in the streets of Chicago," the Washington Examiner notes. "An overwhelming majority of handguns bought and sold in America are semi-automatic."

Perhaps Mrs. Obama simply misspoke. Perhaps she confused the two (not a damnable offense if you’re unfamiliar with firearms).

But here's the thing: Although ABC News left her “automatic weapons” comment on its website:

Screen grab

… the news organization edited it out of today’s broadcast:

Now, as the headline suggests, the reason for the edit is unclear. Sure, it could have been intentional, but it also could have been that ABC News simply edited her comments on air in order to save time. Remember: They did include her comments in full on the website.

A spokesperson with "Good Morning America" and ABC did not immediately respond to TheBlaze’s request for comment.

UPDATE -- A spokesperson for ABC News explained to Mediaite the reason for the edit: "The full story was posted to our website in advance of the interview being broadcast. The edits made to Robin’s interview with the First Lady were made solely for time."

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

Featured image screen grab. This post has been updated for clarity.