Those shootings were the impetus for the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, signed into effect by President Bill Clinton in 1994, stopping the manufacture, sale, transfer and possession of these types of firearms. The term "assault weapon" generally encompasses a wide range of models, including the UZI rifle and pistol, the Beretta AR-70, the SKS rifle and more, according to the California Attorney General's Assault Weapons Identification Guide.ĪR-15 style rifles are rifles "modeled on the AR-15 platform and that fire the same caliber cartridges," Klarevas said, such as the Smith & Wesson M&P15 and the Ruger AR-556.Īlong with their use in hunting, for some Americans, AR-15-type weapons also connote patriotism, which can be traced back to the M16 military rifle that became prominent during the Vietnam War, according to Garrett.įirst responders work at the scene where a shooter opened fire on a Long Island Rail Road train stopped in Garden City, N.Y., Dec. Sometimes referred to as "assault weapons" or "military-style rifles," this class of firearm can encompass many different kinds of guns - not just the more well-known rifles, such as the AK and AR-15 series weapons. From Sandy Hook to San Bernardino to Orlando to Las Vegas, "most of the deadly high-profile mass shootings in the past decade were perpetrated with assault weapons, particularly AR-15-style assault rifles," Klarevas said.
What do we do about it?īut along with that rise in popularity, the use of these weapons in mass shootings is also climbing, according to Louis Klarevas, a research professor at Teachers College, Columbia University who specializes in gun violence and safety.
MORE: America has a gun violence problem.
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