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
On Wednesday, Georgia authorities say a 14-year-old boy brought an AR-platform-style rifle into Apalachee High School near Atlanta and killed two students and two teachers. He also wounded nine more people, eight of them students.
In July, former President Donald Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, narrowly surviving an assassination attempt that killed one spectator and leaving two more “critically injured,” the Secret Service said. The weapon, an AR-15-style rifle, was used to help identify the shooter.
Since the end of the Assault Weapons Ban in 2004, the AR-15 has become one of America’s most popular firearms. It’s been used in some of the most horrific mass shootings in the United States, including the 21 people (including 19 children) killed at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school in May 2022.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president in November, has said she will work to reinstate an assault weapons ban.
What is an AR-15 rifle, and why is it so popular?
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What is an AR-15 rifle?
An AR-15 is a semi-automatic or self-loading rifle that has been called “America’s rifle” by the NRA with well over 15 million sold by 2019. “Semi-automatic” means that the shooter must pull the trigger to fire each shot. The rifle then automatically reloads. An automatic weapon is one that continues to fire as long as you hold down the trigger, and is (mostly) banned in the U.S.
“AR-15s are the most commonly used rifles in marksmanship competitions, training, and home defense,” according to the NRA. The Washington Post found that in 2023, about 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.
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, that was extremely lightweight, easy to care for and highly adaptable. ArmaLite sold the patent to Colt in the 1960s 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.
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What does AR-15 stand for?
AR stands for ArmaLite Rifle, named after the company that developed it. AR 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.Â
In the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (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:Â a folding or telescopic stock, pistol grip, bayonet mount, a flash suppressor and/or a grenade launcher.
More generally 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 were simply cosmetic.
According to the NSSF, the Firearm Industry Trade Association, “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.” Instead, 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 (which is not quite the same thing as an automatic rifle), 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 October 2017, a Las Vegas gunman used 23 different weapons to murder 58 people. Of the 23 guns, several AR-15 rifles were found in his hotel room with a bump stock attached. Following this shooting, President Donald Trump banned bump stocks, but the Supreme Court struck the ban down in June 2024.
Why is the AR-15 so popular?
It’s lightweight. It’s rugged. It’s accurate and has relatively little recoil. It’s easy to modify, with plenty of accessories to make it more accurate, more comfortable, and more personal. Some gun owners enjoy a weapon that can be made to look like military hardware.Â
The NRA said “the AR-15 has soared in popularity” because it’s “customizable, adaptable, reliable and accurate.” It is also versatile and can be used for “sport shooting, hunting and self-defense situations,” the NRA said, adding the ability to “personalize” so many of the rifle’s components “is one of the things that makes it so unique.” Note, hunting with the AR-15 is illegal in some states, including Florida.
But a big reason for the AR-15’s popularity is its cost.
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How much does an AR-15 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.Â
 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 rounds can an AR-15 fire in a minute?
Without modifications such as a bump stock, an AR-15 can fire about 60 rounds a minute. A 30-round magazine is fairly standard with MSRs but ammunition magazines (“drums”) holding up to 100 rounds can be changed in just a few seconds. Some states currently cap the capacity to 10 or 15 rounds.
With a bump stock, that number is significantly increased to nearly automatic-weapon levels. A New York Times analysis of the Las Vegas shooting revealed that the gunman, using bump stocks, fired about 90 shots into the crowd below in just 10 seconds.
Large magazines, or those containing more than 10 rounds, played a role in at least 86 mass shootings since 1980, according to a report from the Violence Policy Center, a national nonprofit that advocates for gun control.Â
What is the range for an AR-15?
The effective range of an AR-15, where an average shooter can hit a vehicle-sized target, is between 400-600 yards, according to a survey of gun review sites. The range will be affected by the skill of the shooter, the caliber of round used and environmental factors.
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Was an AR-15 used in the Parkland, Florida high school mass shooting?
Yes. Police say a 19-year-old man used a Smith and Wesson M&P15, that manufacturer’s version of the AR-15, to kill 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Contributing:Â William Cummings, Bart Jansen, USA TODAY