The rifle's automatic version, the M-16, was used during the Vietnam War. By 1959, ArmaLite sold the design of the AR-15 to Colt, which had success in pitching it to the US military.
The AR-15 was originally developed by ArmaLite to be a military rifle, designing it for fast reloading in combat situations, but the company hit financial troubles. The "AR" in AR-15 does not stand for "assault rifle," but is linked to the original manufacturer of the firearm: ArmaLite, Inc. The AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle and has been referred to by the National Rifle Association as "America's most popular rifle." Polling has consistently shown that the vast majority of Americans would support an assault-weapons ban.ĪR-15 rifles are displayed for sale at the Guntoberfest gun show in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 6, 2017.
Kleck added, "Assault rifles used by members of the military can all fire full automatic, like machine guns, as well as one shot at a time, whereas none of the so-called 'assault rifles' legally owned by US civilians can fire full automatic."īased on the idiosyncrasies of this issue and the broader debate surrounding it, many gun control advocates tend to refer to semi-automatic firearms that have been used in mass shootings as "assault-style" or "military-style" weapons. "None of the so-called 'assault rifles' legally owned by US civilians are assault rifles as the term is used in military contexts," Florida State University criminal justice professor emeritus Gary Kleck, told PolitiFact. In short, pro-Second Amendment groups typically say a firearm should only be called an assault-weapon when it's capable of fully automatic fire - or they reject the terminology altogether. The gun industry often defines an assault rifle as a firearm with "select fire capabilities," or the ability to adjust or switch the firearm between semi-automatic and automatic settings or modes. There's not a universal definition of what an assault weapon is, which is part of the reason this subject tends to antagonize the gun lobby or pro-gun advocates.īut in 1994, after the now-expired assault-weapons ban passed, the Justice Department said, "In general, assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use." "Assault-weapons" is among the most contentious phrases in discussions on gun control. But this still allows for the purchase of automatic firearms made before a certain date in 1986, meaning automatics are technically legal in certain circumstances.įrank Loane, owner of Pasadena Pawn and Gun, stands in front of a wall of assault rifles at his store in Pasadena, Maryland, on Thursday, Sept. The manufacture and importation of new automatic firearms has been prohibited since the Firearm Owners' Protection Act of 1986. Semi-automatic firearms are available across the US with few restrictions.Īutomatic weapons are heavily regulated and expensive.
The vast majority of firearms in the US are semi-automatic and include rifles and handguns. Customers view semi-automatic guns on display at a gun shop in Los Angeles, California, on December 19, 2012.Ī semi-automatic firearm refers to a gun that fires a single round or bullet each time the trigger is squeezed or pulled, and then automatically reloads the chamber between shots.Īn automatic firearm is essentially what many Americans likely think of as a machine gun, or a firearm that continuously fires while the trigger is squeezed or pulled and reloads the chamber automatically.