Assault Weapons Are the Firearm of Choice for Mass Shooters

The gunman in Ulvade, Texas used an AR-15 semi-automatic weapon to kill 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School. The 18-year-old shooter reportedly bought it from a sporting goods store, though they are widely available at stores and gun shows across the country. Semi-automatic rifles—and the AR-15 in particular—have become the weapon of choice for mass shootings in the U.S. This type of gun was used in nearly all of the deadliest mass shootings in recent history. The AR-15 was used in the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in 2018 (17 dead), the concert shooting in Las Vegas in 2017 (58 dead), the Texas church shooting in 2017 (26 dead), the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida (49 dead), the 2015 San Bernardino, California shooting (14 dead), and the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre (27 dead). In 1994, then President Bill Clinton banned similar weapons for a period of 10 years. This move was followed by a substantive dip in mass shootings in the ensuing years.