That was followed by two other high-profile mass shootings with semiautomatic pistols -- one in San Francisco and one on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train -- in Those shootings were the impetus for the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, signed into effect by President Bill Clinton in , stopping the manufacture, sale, transfer and possession of these types of firearms.
The federal law led to a decrease in gun massacre incidents where six or more victims are killed, Klarevas wrote in a report he issued last year as an expert witness in a federal court case challenging California's ban on assault weapons. When compared to data from to , the U. The federal ban was not renewed by Congress and expired in While there's no federal assault weapons ban now, Washington, D.
In many rural and suburban areas, fully and semi-automatic rifles hold a practical value, such as for defending property, and a familial value, to pass down weapons to future generations, Garrett said. ARtype rifles are also beloved as sporting rifles because they are accurate, versatile, light and easy to disassemble, Garrett said. They're also simple to shoot -- Garrett said anyone could be trained in a few hours. It can fit my frame," Oliva said, and with adjustments, "It can also fit my wife, and she can shoot that rifle just as easily.
Oliva stressed that ARstyle rifles are semi-automatic -- and the automatic rifle he used in Iraq and Afghanistan "is not the same rifle that I have in my gun safe today.
The rifle he carried in war was automatic and could fire three rounds without any other action, Oliva said, while the gun in his safe is semi-automatic and requires pulling the trigger every time you want to fire. But according to Garrett, automatic and semi-automatic rifles can easily fall into the hands of those who want to commit murder. Sometimes after a high-profile mass shooting, states will tighten up gun laws, such as by requiring background checks, reducing the sale of certain weapons or banning the sale of high-capacity magazines.
But those looking to buy these items can often find another way, Garrett said. In most states you must be 21 years old to buy a handgun from a federally licensed firearms dealer, but only need to be 18 to buy a rifle, he pointed out. That's because, historically, rifles have been used by people in rural areas to hunt or defend property, Garrett said. Curtis Irwin holds a. Dianne Feinstein D-Calif. David Cicilline D-R.
NSSF places the number even higher, at million in For some advocates, the sheer number of firearms already in circulation underscores why stricter gun control measures are needed. Christian Heyne, vice president of policy for gun control group Brady, supports a ban on new assault weapons, but he also suggested tighter regulations for existing guns. He says the government could require assault weapon owners to register their guns and earn licenses, similar to the current rules for owning a machine gun.
Then there is a seemingly endless array of accessories: barrels, grips, stocks, rails, magazines and scopes. Chandler loves the AR he built. He admires its simple, efficient mechanics, its precision, and how much fun it brings. He fires almost weekly for target practice, along with a Glock 17 handgun.
Chandler, who is black, doesn't have many friends who enjoy guns as much as he does. So he has created a firearm-focused Instagram page to find similarly minded people, many of them millennial first-generation gun owners like himself.
The hashtag ar15 has over 1. This new generation of gun owners, who show off their accessorized rifles on social media — and often seek sponsorship deals with manufacturers — are a reflection of how conventional the AR has become.
But gun-control advocates say the industry has exploited people's fears and desires, promoting a gun originally designed to kill people. They argue that ARs and similar guns cause more damage, and death, when used in mass shootings.
Related: Fate of Sandy Hook lawsuit against gun maker could be decided by a slingshot. Since the time of the federal ban, attempts to restrict gun sales have met with mixed success, with tighter restrictions on people accused of domestic violence but wider acceptance of concealed carry.
Crime rates in America have declined drastically during that period. Even so, ARs and similar guns are still used in mass shootings, drawing new rounds of condemnation — and calls for new bans — with each attack.
Some states have enacted their own bans, a list that grew after the Newtown shooting. None of these states have outlawed the AR altogether, however. Gun industry surveys assert that the typical AR owner is a married man over 35 , with a large proportion having served in the military or law enforcement.
But this appears to be changing. New buyers tend to be younger and more diverse than the general gun-buying public, according to a report published by Southwick Associates, a market research firm, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
That also includes women. She and her husband researched which gun would meet their needs: something safe, reliable and versatile. This year, after the birth of her second child, Hill decided to start working on becoming a competitive shooter, documenting her journey on Instagram. For Hill, life with an AR can best be described in one word: freedom. The gun industry has another more marketable name for the AR the modern sporting rifle. The label signifies its crossover appeal. The gun is now a key component in shooting sport events and has replaced the bolt-action rifle as the gun of choice for many hunters.
One has a long barrel for use on varmints: coyotes, bobcats and foxes. The other has a shorter barrel that he takes out on long excursions into the brush, where he hunts for wild pigs. He hosts Facebook and Instagram pages dedicated to hunting in a state with tight firearm regulations.
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