What do the mass murder events in Sandy Hook, New Jersey; Parkland, Florida;  Santa Barbara, California; Sutherland Springs, Texas; Newtown, Connecticut; Las Vegas, Nevada; Aurora, Colorado;  Dayton, Ohio; and now at a elementary school in Uvalde, Texas have in common? In each of these horrific events, and many others where collectively hundreds of people including little children were murdered, the killer used an AR-15 type assault weapon. These are not weird coincidences. 

The AR-15 type rifle, like its automatic M-16 or M-4 military equivalent, is a weapon of war designed for only one purpose, killing as many people as possible as quickly and efficiently as possible. Actually, we should be using the term “AR-15 style rifle” because while Colt’s patent on the original AR-15  expired long ago, but they still maintain the copyright on the AR-15 designation. So while many gun manufacturers make equivalent rifles, each has their own naming convention for their version of these people killers.

When a person is shot with a regular handgun or rifle, the bullet carves a relatively narrow path through the body. Unless it hits the heart, brain, another vital organ, or a major artery or vein, in many cases the injury is survivable with prompt medical care. Most people shot with AR-15 type weapon are not as fortunate.

Most serious handguns and rifles use fairly large caliber ammunition. On the other hand, most AR-15 style weapons use the relatively small and light 5.56 mm (22.3 caliber) ammunition, just slightly bigger than that used by the popular 22 rifles which are useful for killing small game and plinking targets. However, when shot by an AR-15 style weapon that small 22.3 caliber bullet is propelled by the explosion of a much larger amount of gunpowder than is used in a 22 rifle.

The bullet leaves the AR-15’s barrel with incredible speed, much faster than that of a regular rifle and three time the speed of most handguns. When the bullet hits someone it makes a small hole, but due to its high velocity it fragments and tumbles inside the body causing a massive amount damage to tissue, organs, or whatever is in its way before leaving an exit wound the size of an orange. Blood loss is alway massive and often fatal before medical assistance can arrive. 

This means that wounds to parts of the body that one could recover from if shot by a regular handgun or rifle can often be deadly if the weapon used is an AR-15 style weapon.  In war this is an asset because when you shoot an enemy you want “stopping power”. You don’t want the person shot getting up and shooting you in return. However, it also means that when an AR-15 is in the hands of a would be mass murderer, the people he manages to shoot are much more likely to die.

Imagine for a moment a small child with that kind of wound.  Trauma physicians who have treated  victims with wounds inflicted by an AR-15 claim they are among the most devastating injuries they have ever had to deal with.

When that killing power is combined with the AR-15’s semi-automatic capability (you can shoot as quickly as you can pull the trigger), high capacity magazines (which can hold 20, 30, 60, or even 100 rounds), and the weapon’s lightweight you have a devastating weapon. That is why it’s military  equivalent – the M16 – has been the designated weapon of the US Marines since 1983 and the US Army since 1986 and has only recently been replaced with M4, which is also a variant of the AR-15. The M16 is still the weapon of choice of the armies of many countries around the world. The only real difference between the M16 or M4 and the AR-15, the M16 and M4 can also be fired in full automatic mode.

The police officers on the street or assigned to guard schools carrying only side arms are seriously outgunned by a killer with an assault weapon like the AR-15.

In summary the AR-15 type assault rifles are the perfect weapons for killing as many people as possible as quickly as possible. So of course they are most often the first choice of potential mass killers.  

There is absolutely no reason why these weapons of war should be in the hands of civilians, yet yet well over 20 million AR-15 type weapons are currently in circulation.  16 million of these rifles were sold to the American public by 2018. Salvador Ramos, the shooter in Uvalde, purchased his AR-15 type weapon called a DDM4 Rifle manufactured by Daniel Defense Inc. at a sporting good store in Texas along with 100’s of rounds of ammunition the day after his 18th birthday.

The NRA and its acolytes claim that the AR-15 and its many copies are required for hunting varmints and feral hogs and for self defense, but that is a blatant lie.  There many other rifles, shotguns, and handguns that equally useful or superior for those purposes which weren’t designed for killing as many people as possible as efficiently as possible. Actually most of these weapons bought by responsible gun owners are never been fired except for target shooting where I strongly suspect those with low self esteem feel more powerful shooting a weapon designed for the military.  If rocket propelled grenade launchers were legal for civilian use, they would probably buy those as well. 

Assault weapons, including the AR-15  were banned in in this country 1994, but Congress allowed the restriction to lapse in 2004 amid pressure from the powerful NRA. Congressional efforts to renew the prohibition since then have failed.  Can we get these weapons of war banned again for civilian use in the wake of of the deaths of 18 more innocent children.  I doubt it. 

Rick Guilbeau