The AR-15: 5 facts about this popular semi-automatic rifle
What you need to know about what the NRA calls the most popular rifle in America.
C. A. Bridges, Fort Myers News-Press
A 14-year-old boy used an AR-platform-style rifle in a high school near Atlanta, Georgia and killed two students and two teachers.
He also wounded nine more people in Apalachee High School, eight of them students.
An AR-15-style rifle was also used in July when former President Donald Trump was shot at a Pennslyvania campaign rally. The Secret Service said the assassination attempt killed one and left two more critically injured.
Nationwide, the AR-15 has become one of the most popular firearms since the end of the Assault Weapons Ban in 2004. The weapon was used in the May 2022 Uvalde, Texas elementary school that killed 21 people, including 19 children, and other mass shootings.
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In July, Vice President Kamala Harris said she would work to reinstate an assault weapons ban without explicitly mentioning the AR-15. She is running for president as a Democrat.
On Wednesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as part of a coalition of 19 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of Cook County, Illinois’ assault weapons ban.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to stand behind commonsense gun safety measures for all Americans, we urge the court to uphold Cook County’s ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines,” Bonta said in a statement. “States and local governments play an essential role in promoting public safety, and that role must include combating threats of mass shootings and senseless gun violence.”
What is an AR-15 rifle and why is it so popular?
An AR-15 is a semi-automatic or self-loading rifle. According to the NSSF, the Firearm Trade Industry Association, more than 28.1 million modern sporting rifles, including the AR-15, are circulating nationwide. The association defines an AR-15 as a modern sporting rifle, not an assault weapon. “Semi-automatic” means that the shooter must pull the trigger to fire each shot. The rifle then automatically reloads. An automatic weapon continues to fire as long as you hold down the trigger and is (mostly) banned in the U.S.
The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action states that “AR-15s are the most commonly used rifles in marksmanship competitions, training, and home defense.” In 2023, the Washington Post found approximately 1 in 20 U.S. adults owned an AR-15. The Post found that the weapon was used in at least 10 of the 17 deadliest mass shootings in America, including San Bernardino.
An AR-15 is not a specific model but a style. It’s the civilian variation of the ArmaLite AR-15, a variant of the AR-10 designed by Eugene Stoner in the 1950s. The ArmaLite AR-15 was extremely lightweight, easy to care for, and highly adaptable. In the 1960s, ArmaLite sold the patent to Colt, and they developed an automatic-fire version for the military called the M16. After Colt’s patent ran out, other manufacturers began making their own versions.
What does AR-15 stand for?
AR stands for ArmaLite Rifle, which was named after the company that developed it. It does not stand for “assault rifle” or “automatic rifle.”
Is an AR-15 an assault rifle? What is an assault weapon?
That depends on who you ask.
In the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, also known as the Assault Weapons Ban, the federal government defined assault weapons to include some specific models by name and other firearms by features. For semi-automatic rifles, that meant being able to accept detachable magazines and two or more of the following: a folding or telescopic stock, pistol grip, bayonet mount, a flash suppressor and/or a grenade launcher.
Since then, the federal government has usually used the term to refer to a military-style weapon, either semi-automatic or fully automatic, capable of firing multiple rounds.
Pro-gun advocates and the gun industry say that the term “assault rifle” should only apply to military weapons that are either fully automatic or have the capability of switching between semi-automatic and fully automatic and that the features listed in the Federal Assault Weapons Ban are cosmetic.
According to the NSSF, “AR-15-style rifles can look like military rifles, such as the M-16, but by law they function like other semiautomatic civilian sporting firearms, as they fire only one round with each pull of the trigger.” They refer to the AR-15 as a “modern sporting rifle” or MSR.
Is an AR-15 a machine gun?
The AR-15 rifle is not a machine gun but it can be modified to function like an automatic rifle when a “bump stock” — a replacement stock that uses the weapon’s recoil to “bump” the trigger into the shooter’s finger much faster than the shooter could fire otherwise — is used.
In many states, the AR-15 is banned for hunting. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife directs visitors to the California Office of Attorney General to see if a gun is considered “California compliant” to hunt big game.
Specific AK and AR-15 series firearms are listed as assault weapons which are prohibited but other “generic characteristics” assault weapons can have “defining characteristics” removed.
California hunting regulations restrict the cartridge and bullet type for hunting big game, but not the firearm, according to the department. Firearms must use centerfire cartridges with soft nose or expanding projectiles and the use of nonlead ammunition is required.
But a big reason for the AR-15’s popularity is its cost.
How much do AR-15’s cost?
New AR-15 rifles can sell for $400 to $2,000 and nearly every major gun manufacturer produces one. Ammunition is inexpensive and can be bought in bulk online, and magazines are interchangeable between manufacturers.
Why is the AR-15 so dangerous?
The AR-15 was designed to inflict what one of its designers called “maximum wound effect.” AR-15s have a higher muzzle velocity than some other rifles and bullets leaving them at such a fast speed — nearly three times the speed of sound — cause more damage to bones and organs. AR-15 ammunition is also more likely to break apart inside a body, causing even more damage.
How many AR-15s were used in the 2015 San Bernardino incident?
Syed Rizwyan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, 28 and 27, used two AR-15-style, .223-caliber Remington rifles and two 9 mm handguns to kill 14 and injure 21 at a workplace in San Bernardino before they were killed.
Are AR-15s legal in California? What are California’s gun laws?
California law bans firearm models that are specific variations of the AK or AR-15 but residents can own AR-15s that don’t have assault weapon features.
According to the California Rifle & Pistol Association, AR-15 firearms with the upper and lower receivers completely detached from one another are not considered semiautomatic for the state’s assault weapon laws. Semiautomatic firearms that lack a firing pin, bolt carrier or gas tube are also not considered semiautomatic. In other words, disassembling a bullet-button firearm or removing a crucial part of the action should mean the firearm is no longer considered an assault weapon under state law, according to the association.
California bans assault weapons by type, series, and model, including the Beretta AR-70, Springfield Armory BM59 and SAR-48, Steyer AUG, Sterling MK-6, and the Bushmaster Assault Rifle.
According to the office of the attorney general, all firearms must be purchased through a California-licensed dealer. State law imposes a 10-day waiting period before the firearm can be released to a purchaser or transferee. Firearms can’t be sold or transferred to anyone younger than 21 unless a special exemption is obtained.
Additionally, handgun purchases must provide proof of California residency and possess a Handgun Safety Certificate or qualify for an HSC exemption.
Contributing: William Cummings, Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
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Publish date : 2024-09-05 10:38:00
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