One of the weapons used in the Orlando nightclub tragedy is a type that’s well-known and hotly debated, but even the terms used to describe it often become a point of contention in the wake of mass killings where it is used.
Traced to the shooting were a .223 caliber AR-type rifle and a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, according to a Twitter post by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The shooting early Sunday morning at Pulse nightclub killed 49 people plus the shooter, and injured 53.
ATF spokesman Ali Berisha declined to elaborate on the agency’s tweet, the weapons or any other aspect of the shooting Tuesday.
What is an AR-type rifle?
AR-type rifles originated with a weapon called an AR-15, which was developed by ArmaLite Rifles and later popularized by Colt. “AR” is short for ArmaLite Rifles.
Colt reconfigured the design and sold a military version as the fully automatic M-16. The semiautomatic civilian version is the AR-15, which retains the external look and feel of a military weapon.
The key difference is the military M-16 — and its shorter modern successor the M-4 — can be fully automatic, meaning they can discharge a full magazine of rounds with a single pull of the trigger. Civilian AR-15 style rifles shoot a single round per pull.
The high-powered rifles can reload quickly by swapping out spent magazines, which typically hold 30 rounds of ammunition. Defining elements to both the military and civilian versions are they are lightweight and use a pistol grip and trigger assemblies.
AR-15 style weapons are produced by dozens of gun manufacturers worldwide. Various makers use different names for their rifles, but AR-15 and the shorter AR have become the generic terms for modern lightweight semiautomatic pistol-grip rifles.
They are legal in all 50 states, provided the purchaser passes mandatory FBI background checks required for all retail gun purchasers, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a pro-gun trade association.
Approximately 5 million to 10 million are legally owned in the United States, according to the foundation.
Some states have other restrictions on some of the weapon’s features.
‘Assault’ rifle?
Debate continues about whether AR-15 style rifles should be considered “assault weapons” or “assault rifles.”
The Shooting Sports Foundation, which calls them “modern sporting rifles,” argues the guns don’t meet the rapid-fire standard. “An assault rifle is fully automatic — a machine gun,” the foundation states on its website.”
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by Paul Giblin
