 "From Georgia school to Trump rally shooting: How AR rifles, used by the gunmen, is America's most popular weapon")
Wednesday (September 4) marks another dark day in the history of the United States. A 14-year-old student went on a rampage inside his school in Georgia, killing four people, including two students, and injuring nine others.
The gunman, Colt Gray , has been taken into custody after the incident at the Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, with authorities saying that he will be tried as an adult, despite being a minor. Investigating officials later said that Gray had used an “AR-platform-style weapon”, but are still unclear as to how he got access to the gun or snuck it into school.
Notably, the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle has been commonly used by mass shooters in the past, and is one of the most ubiquitous weapons in the United States. It was previously in the news when 20-year-old named Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania used it in the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump in July.
What is this rifle and how dangerous can it be? We explain
AR-15: The rifle used in Trump shooting
The AR-15 is one of the most popular and most recognisable firearms in the US. It has been used in several high-profile shootings in the US.
The AR-15 is a civilian rifle, which falls under the category of the “modern sporting rifle”, which is supposed to be used in competition and for hunting. It which was adapted from the M16 military combat automatic rifle.
The AR does not stand for “assault rifle” as is popular belief but for “ArmaLite Rifle,” named after the company that first developed it in the 1950s. The design of the weapon was sold to another company called Colt in 1959, which adapted it into a fully automatic version – M-16 – used by the military.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe M-16 was used on the frontlines in the early stages of the Vietnam War. It was not popular at first because of jamming issues but was later modified into M16A1, which became a standard weapon used by the American military, according to a report in the BBC.
After the Vietnam War, Colt started marketing the semi-automatic version of the rifle to gun enthusiasts in the US. Its patent for the AR-15 expired in 1977 but other firearm manufacturers Remington, Smith & Wesson and Ruger started making their own versions. While their rifles have different names, they are still referred to as AR-15s. They are lightweight, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifles known for their accuracy, ease of use and adaptability.
The rifle fires bullets at a high velocity – often in a barrage of 30 or even 100 in rapid –succession and can eviscerate several people in seconds. A single bullet is enough to blow apart a skull and puncture vital organs, according to a report in The Washington Post.
It is the speed of a bullet sprayed from an AR-15 that makes it so deadly. It causes damage once hits the body, reducing the chances of survival. These projectiles often break apart as they pass through the body, inflicting serious injuries, leading to more blood loss and possible death.
The AR-15 is legal for civilian use in many parts of the US and is the best-selling rifle in the country. Its use surged in the early 2000s, after an increased interest in firearms in post-9/11 America. In 2004, the federal assault weapons ban that blocked the sales of semiautomatic rifles expired and it only fuelled an interest in the gun.
According to some estimates, one in 20 Americans owns this weapon, reports the BBC. Data compiled by Georgetown University in 2021, found that 24.6 million Americans have AR-15-style rifles.
A 2022 House Oversight Committee probe found that five major gun manufacturers – Daniel Defense, Bushmaster, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., and Sturm, Ruger & Co. – collectively earned $1 billion in revenue over a decade from the sale of AR-15s aone.
AR-15 and mass shootings
AR-15 was first advertised as a sporting or hunting rifle. However, it has become a go-to tool for mass shooters. The rifle was used in 10 of the 17 deadliest mass shootings in the US from 2012 to 2022, reports The Washington Post.
The gun was used in school shootings in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 21 in May 2022 and in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students died in 2018; and the 2012 movie theatre shooting in Aurora, Colorado, which killed 12.
The gun was also used in killings in Jacksonville. Florida, where a young White man in his 20s shot three Black people at a general store and then shot himself in August last year and the October 2023 mass shooting in Maine, where 18 people were killed.
The AR-15 is popular and high in demand because of its price. While the cost depends on the quality, these rifles come at $400 and up. Some versions of the gun run can cost thousands, according to a report in TIME.
An expert describes the AR-15 as a Lego set because of its modularity. Danny Michael, the Robert W Woodruff Curator at the Cody Firearms Museum, tells TIME, “It’s gotten to the point today where the design has a lot of refinement to it, so pretty much any feature of the rifle is configurable to some degree.”
Steve Lindley, programme manager of Brady United Against Gun Violence, a gun violence prevention organisation, says he would hesitate to call the AR-15 the “weapon of choice for mass shooters,” but still describes it a “weapon of war.” According to him, the rifle has such a strong capacity that gunmen “don’t really need to aim, they just need to shoot at the crowd of people”, the report says.
AR-15 and the gun debate
The rifle has become a symbol of gun debate in America. The National Rifle Association calls it the “most powerful rifle” in the country.
Democratic lawmakers have been making efforts to ban it because of its use in mass shootings. But Republicans, who will once again pick Trump as its presidential nominee on Monday, have been against it. Last year, several GOP lawmakers were seen sporting lapel pins shaped like an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, reports The Guardian.
Andrew Clyde, a Republican Congressman from Georgia who also owns a gun store, had later said that he had handed out the pins to his colleagues “to remind people of the second amendment of the constitution and how important it is in preserving our liberties”.
But it is not politicians alone. Even public opinion differs. Opinion polls show Americans are equally divided on bans on guns like the AR-15, with some surveys indicating that support for prohibition has slightly eroded – 46 per cent support a ban and 49 per cent are opposed, according to a 2023 survey, reports NBC.
It is a polarising subject. Now the shooting once again puts the spotlight on AR-15. But only time will tell if this will just be another incident in America’s bloody history of gun violence.
With inputs from agencies
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