THE FAVORITE GUN OF MASS SHOOTERS

 

                                 …The AR-!5 rifle, called by the NRA: “America’s Gun”

 

Question and answers regarding the AR-15 rifle

Let’s answer the following questions: 

What defines a rifle as an assault rifle? 

There are three features of an assault rifle.

1. They are all semi-automatic.  That means they fire repeatedly with a squeeze of the trigger.

2. The have detachable magazines for easy loading.

3. They have a pistol grip.  That allows the shooters to fire continuously with the gun aimed at the target.

Why the rifle called “America’s Rifle” and why is it called an AR-15? 

The National Rifle Association (NRA)  named the rifle “America's Rifle” and they also call it “the iPhone of firearms”.

The AR15 designation came from the original gunmaker that designed the gun for the U.S. Military.

The company was ArmaLite and was eventually purchased by Colt.  The patent ended long ago and many manufacturers make similar weapons of war.  There are now about 20 million AR-15’s, just in the U.S..

One in five purchases in the U.S. is an assault rifle.

What makes them so lethal?

The AR-15 is engineered to cause “maximum wound effect”.  It fires needle-nosed bullets that travel three time faster than a hand gun and they explode when they slam into any flesh, causing maximum bleeding.

They are also called the “perfect killing machine”.

 

When did the assault rifle originate?

Adolf Hitler coined the term in German that translates as “Storm Weapon”.  It was a German gun with a shorter barrel than the standard Nazi rifle, making it easier to control because it didn’t kick as much.

The soviets followed with their AK-47.  The American troops in Viet Nam were dealing with the Viet Cong that had the AK 47’s.

The U.S. Military then went to the then new AR-15’s which used a light .22.3 caliber bullet.  The results were amazing.

A military report, at the time said they: “mutilated the enemy looking like the enemy had exploded.”

 

How are assault rifle’s marketed?

The gun manufacturers call the AR-15 the “modern sporting rifle”.  But the marketing strategies have grown increasingly unstable.

After the U.S. invasion of Iraq, AR-15’s began appearing in the same desert tan used on the battlefield weapons.

 

Would restrictions of the AR-15 be effective?

This is under fierce debate with the gun enthusiasts arguing that any restrictions can today, be circumvented. 

However, in 2019, a Columbia University study found that banning large-capacity magazines resulted in a 20% drop in the fatality rate of gun massacres. 

However, historically, gunmakers know that mass shootings help sell more assault weapons.  The gunmakers always cash in on that imagery, and that violence.

Being that there are already 20 million AR-15 style rifles in the U.S., it appears that that any restriction would be, too little too late.

Copyright G. Ater 2022