The attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump with a semi-automatic rifle once again demonstrates how easy it is for shooters in the US to acquire cheap, easy-to-use, military-style weapons.
The AR-15 style rifle is one of the most popular guns in the U.S. It has also been used in some of the country’s worst mass shootings.
Here are some key facts about this weapon:
Why are AR-15s so deadly?
The AR-15 is a semi-automatic weapon, meaning its user can fire multiple bullets in quick succession.
Its cousin, the M-16, has been used by the US military since the Vietnam War. While some military assault rifles are fully automatic, civilians are prohibited from owning such weapons in most circumstances.
AR-15s fire high-velocity bullets that travel three times the speed of a handgun bullet, are accurate at long ranges, and inflict massive, devastating wounds to soft tissue and internal organs.
While the number of handgun deaths per year in the United States is high, the AR-15 is most often used in mass shootings.
In May 2022, a former student used an AR-15 to kill nineteen children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
The weapon was also used in Las Vegas in October 2017, where a gunman killed 60 people at a music festival.
Cheap and easy
Buying an AR-15 is easy. Depending on the state of residence, a prospective owner can walk into a gun shop and, after presenting a valid ID, purchase a rifle or shotgun, provided they can pass a federal background check.
This process also looks at the buyer’s criminal history or whether he has ever been admitted to a mental institution. But in the case of a private sale, even this cursory check can be ignored.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) recommends these rifles for recreational target practice and home defense, but critics say their lethality means they should not be in the hands of civilians.
One reason for the popularity of AR-15s in the U.S. is that they are widely customizable, and owners can add scopes, large-capacity magazines and a variety of other accessories.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives doesn’t know how many assault weapons there are in the U.S. — they’re prohibited by federal law from keeping a gun registry database.
A Washington Post poll estimated in 2023 that one in 20 American adults would own at least one AR-15.
Banned in several states
Assault weapons were banned in 1994 under President Bill Clinton, but the ban expired in 2004 due to pressure from the powerful N.R.A.
Federal efforts to reform gun laws have since been blocked, with critics arguing they infringe on the constitutional right to own a gun enshrined in the Second Amendment.
However, several states, such as California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington DC, have banned the ownership of assault weapons.
California claims its gun safety laws have helped save 19,000 lives in a decade.
In May, President Joe Biden’s administration took steps to crack down on gun shows and online firearms sales that avoid federal background checks.
But several Republican-led states immediately sued to block the measure.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
