In the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, US law enforcement officials recovered an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle at the scene.
The AR-15 rifle is a semi-automatic civilian version of the military M16, called "America's rifle" by the US National Rifle Association, often used in mass shootings and is one of the most popular weapons in America, according to the New York Times.
AR-15 style rifles often have sights and other accessories that are easy to purchase, allowing even untrained shooters to shoot to death.
This rifle can be made to fire heavier and lighter bullets, but the most common is the 5.56 mm round with an effective range of 450 - 730 m.
For an untrained shooter, hitting at this range is difficult but still possible if there is a stand or sandbag to stabilize the barrel.
In 2004, after the federal assault weapons ban ended, the AR-15 re-entered the gun market and became more popular. Buying an AR-15 is easy. Depending on state of residence, gun buyers can present valid identification and purchase a rifle or handgun, provided they pass a federal background check.
Part of the reason the AR-15 is popular in the US is because of its adjustability, owners can add sights, high-capacity magazines and many other accessories, according to AFP.
Reuters said that initial details about Thomas Matthew Crooks - the suspect who failed to assassinate Donald Trump and was killed by law enforcement agencies - showed that the gun the suspect used was a "556 AR-style rifle". purchased legally. The FBI believes the gun was purchased by Crooks' father.
The assassination of former US President Donald Trump with a semi-automatic rifle once again shows that gunmen in the US can easily obtain military-style weapons that are cheap and easy to use.
Why does AR-15 have such terrible damage? AFP said the AR-15 is a semi-automatic weapon, meaning the user can fire multiple shots in a row.
The AR-15 fires high-velocity bullets , traveling at three times the speed of handgun bullets, with accuracy over long distances and causing widespread wounds, affecting soft tissue and internal organs. organs.
In the US, handguns cause more deaths than AR-15s, but AR-15s are often used in large-scale mass shootings .
In May 2022, a former student used an AR-15 to shoot and kill 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. This weapon was also used in October 2017 in the Las Vegas shooting, which left 60 people dead at a music festival.
A 2023 Washington Post poll estimated that one in 20 American adults owns at least one AR-15.
However, the sale and possession of AR-15 rifles and other military-style semi-automatic weapons are banned in nine states: Washington, California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois and Delaware.
