AR - 15 style rifle - wikipedia AR - 15 style rifle `` AR - 15 '' redirects here. For other uses, see AR - 15 ( disambiguation ). AR - 15 style rifles come in many sizes and have many options, depending on the manufacturer. The part shown bottom center is the lower receiver without the receiver extension, rear takedown pin, and buttstock. An AR - 15 style rifle is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR - 15 design. After Colt 's patents expired in 1977, an expanded marketplace emerged with many manufacturers producing their own version of the AR - 15 design for commercial sale. They are referred to as modern sporting rifles by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade association, and by some manufacturers. Coverage of high - profile incidents where various versions of the rifle were involved often uses the shorthand AR - 15. Since 2010, AR - 15 style rifles have become one of the `` most beloved and most vilified rifles '' in the United States, according to the New York Times. It has been promoted as `` America 's rifle '' by the National Rifle Association. It has been used in many mass shootings in the United States. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban restricted the Colt AR - 15 and derivatives from 1994 - 2004, although it did not affect rifles with fewer features. There are an estimated 10 - 12 million in circulation in the United States. Contents 1 Terminology 2 Modularity 3 Comparison to military versions 4 Production and sales 5 Cartridge variations 6 Use in crime and mass shootings 7 List of models 8 Examples of AR - 15 style rifles and carbines 9 See also 10 References 11 Bibliography Terminology 1973 Colt AR - 15 SP1 rifle with ' slab side ' lower receiver ( lacking raised boss around magazine release button ) and original Colt 20 - round box magazine In 1956, ArmaLite designed a lightweight assault rifle for military use and designated it the ArmaLite Rifle - 15, or AR - 15. Due to financial problems, and limitations in terms of manpower and production capacity, ArmaLite sold the design and the AR - 15 trademark to Colt 's Manufacturing Company in 1959. In 1964, Colt began selling its own version with an improved semi-automatic design known as the Colt AR - 15. After Colt 's patents expired in 1977, an active marketplace emerged for other manufacturers to produce and sell their own AR - 15 style rifles. In 2009, the term `` modern sporting rifle '' was coined by the National Shooting Sports Foundation for its survey that year as a marketing term used by the firearms industry to describe modular semi-automatic rifles including AR - 15s. Today, nearly every major firearm manufacturer produces its own generic AR - 15 style rifle. As Colt continues to own and use the AR - 15 trademark for its line of AR - 15 variants, other manufacturers must use their own model numbers and names to market their AR - 15 style rifles for commercial sale. Modularity While most earlier breech - loading rifles had a single receiver housing both the trigger and reloading mechanism, an innovative feature of the AR - 15 was modular construction to simplify substitution of parts and avoid need for arsenal facilities for most repairs of malfunctioning military rifles. A distinctive two - part receiver is used by both military and sporting AR - 15 style rifles. As civilian ownership of AR - 15 style rifles became sufficient to create a market for improvements, numerous manufacturers began producing one or more `` improved '' modules, assemblies, or parts with features not found on factory rifles ; and individuals with average mechanical aptitude can often substitute these pieces for original equipment. Due to the vast assortment of aftermarket parts and accessories available, AR - 15 style rifles have also been referred to as `` the Swiss Army knife of rifles '', `` Barbie Dolls for Guys '' or `` LEGOs '' for adults. These more or less interchangeable modules are a defining characteristic of AR - 15 style modern sporting rifles. The lower receiver is the serial - numbered part legally defined as the firearm under United States law. The lower receiver is visually distinguished by the trigger guard ahead of the detachable pistol grip, and behind the magazine well capable of holding detachable magazines. The lower receiver holds the trigger assembly including the hammer, and is the attachment point for the buttstock. The lower receiver is attached to the upper receiver by two removable pins. Disassembly for cleaning or repair of malfunctions often requires removal of these pins. Removal of the rear take - down pin allows the receiver to be opened by rotation around the forward pivot pin as a hinge. The upper receiver contains the bolt carrier assembly, and is attached to the barrel assembly. Sights will be attached to the upper receiver or to the barrel assembly. A handguard usually encloses the barrel and a gas - operated reloading device using burnt powder gas vented from a hole ( or port ) in the barrel near the forward end of the handguard. The handguard is attached to the upper receiver and may also be attached to the barrel. The initial design included a tube to vent burnt powder gas back into the bolt carrier assembly where it expands in a variable volume chamber forcing the bolt open to eject the spent cartridge case. A buffer spring in the buttstock then pushes the bolt closed picking up a new cartridge from the magazine. This direct gas impingement ( DGI ) system has the disadvantage of venting unburned smokeless powder residue into the receiver where it may ultimately accumulate in quantities causing malfunctions. A more recent alternative design has a metal operating rod pushing against the bolt carrier from a gas piston under the handguard near the barrel port. This piston keeps the receiver cleaner by exhausting under the handguard. While both the DGI and piston systems produce semi-automatic fire, an alternative unported barrel assembly includes a sliding handguard connected to a rod moving the bolt by a pump action and eliminating semi-automatic fire. Most rifles eject spent cartridges from the right side of the receiver away from right handed shooters who place the butt against the right shoulder while sighting with the right eye and using a finger of the right hand to pull the trigger. Right - side ejection is a disadvantage for the third of the population whose left eye is dominant, and for the tenth of the population who are left handed, because holding these rifles against their left shoulder for maximum accuracy causes the rifle to eject hot spent cases toward the chest, neck or face of a left handed shooter. The modular design of AR - 15 style rifles has encouraged several manufacturers to offer specialized parts including leftward ejecting upper receivers for converting right handed AR - 15 style rifles for left handed use. Some AR - 15 - style rifles have features limiting use of detachable magazines to comply with state regulations. A few unusual versions are incapable of semi-automatic fire. Nearly all versions of the civilian AR - 15 have a pistol grip like the military versions, and some have folding or collapsible stocks like the M4 carbine which reduce the overall length of the rifle. Comparison to military versions The semi-automatic civilian AR - 15 was introduced by Colt in 1963. The primary distinction between civilian semi-automatic rifles and military models is select fire. Military models were produced with firing modes, semi-automatic fire and either fully automatic fire mode or burst fire mode, in which the rifle fires three rounds in succession when the trigger is depressed. Most components are interchangeable between semi-auto and select fire rifles including magazines, sights, upper receiver, barrels and accessories. The military M4 carbine typically uses a 14.5 '' barrel. Civilian rifles commonly have 16 inch or longer barrels to comply with the National Firearms Act. In order to prevent a civilian semi-automatic AR - 15 from being readily converted for use with the select fire components a number of features were changed. Parts changed include the lower receiver, bolt carrier, hammer, trigger, disconnector, and safety / mode selector. The semi-automatic bolt carrier has a longer lightening slot to prevent the bolt 's engagement with an automatic sear. Due to a decrease in mass the buffer spring is heavier. On the select fire version, the hammer has an extra spur which interacts with the additional auto - sear that holds it back until the bolt carrier group is fully in battery, when automatic fire is selected. Using a portion of the select fire parts in a semi-automatic rifle will not enable a select fire option. As designed by Colt the pins supporting the semi-auto trigger and hammer in the lower receiver are larger than those used in the military rifle to prevent interchangeability between semi-automatic and select fire components. Production and sales A custom built AR - 15 style rifle with an ACOG sight. The first version produced for commercial sale by Colt was the AR - 15 Sporter, in. 223 Remington, with a 20 - inch barrel and issued with 5 - round magazines. Initial sales of the Colt AR - 15 were slow, primarily due to its fixed sights and carry handle that made scopes difficult to mount and awkward to use. In the 1990s, sales of AR - 15 style rifles increased dramatically, partly as a result of the introduction of the flat top upper receiver which allowed scopes and sighting devices to be easily mounted as well as new features such as free floating hand guards that increased accuracy. While only a handful of companies were manufacturing these rifles in 1994, by the 21st century the number of AR - 15 style rifles had more than doubled. From 2000 to 2015, the number of manufacturers of AR - 15 style variants and knock - offs increased from 29 to about 500. Today, AR - 15 style rifles are available in a wide range of configurations and calibers from a large number of manufacturers. These configurations range from standard full - sizes rifles with 20 inch barrels, to short carbine - length models with 16 inch barrels, adjustable length stocks and optical sights, to long range target models with 24 inch barrels, bipods and high - powered scopes. Estimates vary as to how many of the rifles are owned in the United States. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has estimated that approximately 5 million to 10 million AR - 15 style rifles exist in the U.S. within the broader total of the 300 million firearms owned by Americans. Cartridge variations Since the upper and lower receivers may be swapped between rifles, forensic firearm examination of bullets and spent cartridges may reveal distinguishing marks from the barrel and upper receiver group without identifying the lower receiver for which legal records may be available. An individual may use several upper receiver groups with the same lower receiver. These upper receiver groups may have differing barrel lengths and sights, and may fire different cartridges. A hunter with a single lower receiver might have one upper receiver with a. 223 Remington barrel and telescopic sight for varmint hunting in open country and another upper receiver with a. 458 SOCOM barrel and iron sights for big - game hunting in brushy woodland. The dimensions of upper and lower receivers originally designed for the 5.56 × 45mm NATO cartridge impose an overall length limit and diameter limits when adapting modules for other cartridges included in this list of AR platform calibers. The same magazine in the lower receiver group may hold differing numbers of different cartridges. Use in Crime and mass shootings While most gun killings in the United States are with handguns, AR - 15 style rifles have played `` an oversized role in many of the most high - profile '' mass shootings in the United States, and have come to be widely characterized as the weapon of choice for perpetrators of these crimes. AR - 15 variants were the primary weapon used in the most recent six of the ten deadliest mass shootings in American history, including the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the 2015 San Bernardino attack, the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, the 2017 Sutherland Springs church shooting, and the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Following the use of a Colt AR - 15 rifle in the Port Arthur massacre, the worst single - person shooting incident in Australian history, the country enacted the National Firearms Programme Implementation Act 1996, restricting the private ownership of semi-automatic rifles with a capacity of more than 5 rounds ( Category D ). List of models Barrett REC7 Bushmaster XM - 15 Carbon 15 Colt AR - 15 Daniel Defense DDM4 DPMS Panther Arms Tactical Rifle Heckler & Koch MR556 Lewis Machine & Tool Company CQB16 LWRC International IC series Mossberg Tactical Semi-Automatic Rifles Olympic Arms K series Patriot Ordnance Factory rifles and carbines Remington R5 RGP Rock River Arms LAR - 15 Ruger SR - 556 Savage Arms MSR - 15 SIG Sauer SIG516 SIG Sauer SIGM400 Smith & Wesson M&P15 Stag Arms STAG - 15 Wilson Combat Tactical Rifle Examples of AR - 15 style rifles and carbines REC7 by Barrett SR - 556 by Ruger SIG516 by SIG Sauer M&P15 by Smith & Wesson See also Assault weapons legislation in the United States List of Colt AR - 15 & M16 rifle variants, a list of Colt - made firearms based on the ArmaLite AR - 15 design List of most - produced firearms, comparison of relative production of modern firearms References ^ Jump up to : Jeff Zimba ( 2014 - 11 - 26 ). The Evolution of the Black Rifle : 20 Years of Upgrades, Options, and Accessories. ISBN 9780692317266. Jump up ^ `` Modern Sporting Rifle Facts ''. National Shooting Sports Foundation. 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013. Jump up ^ Walker, Rob ( 2016 - 12 - 30 ). `` The Year in Nine Objects ''. The New Yorker. ISSN 0028 - 792X. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 12. ^ Jump up to : Feuer, Alan ( 13 June 2016 ). `` AR - 15 Rifles Are Beloved, Reviled and a Common Element in Mass Shootings ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2018. Jump up ^ Plumer, Brad ( 2012 - 12 - 17 ). `` Everything you need to know about the assault weapons ban, in one post ''. Washington Post. ISSN 0190 - 8286. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Guns Like The AR - 15 Were Never Fully Banned ''. FiveThirtyEight. 2016 - 06 - 14. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 26. Jump up ^ `` ArmaLite History : 1955 - 1959 ''. Retrieved 22 February 2018. Jump up ^ Bartocci, Christopher R. ( July 16, 2012 ). `` The AR - 15 / M16 : The rifle that was never supposed to be ''. Gun Digest. Retrieved March 18, 2018. These are two of the main reasons why the AR - 15 / M16 - series rifles are considered the finest human - engineered assault rifles in the world. Jump up ^ Bocetta, Sam ( March 15, 2018 ). `` The Complete History of the AR - 15 Rifle ''. Small Wars Journal. Retrieved March 18, 2018. The ArmaLite 15 is a classic assault rifle... Ironically enough, the AR - 15 fits both of these descriptions ( assault rifle and assault weapon ) : it 's a military style rifle that was illegal during the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Jump up ^ Bartocci, Christopher R. ( July 16, 2012 ). `` AR - 15 / M16 : The Rifle That Was Never Supposed to Be ''. Gun Digest. Retrieved May 24, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Bob Hutton & Bob Forker ( October 1964 ). `` A Beautiful Marriage :. 223 Remington and Colt 's AR - 15 ' Sporter ' ''. Guns & Ammo. Jump up ^ `` Modern Sporting Rifle Owners Are Most Active Shooters, Says NSSF / Responsive Management Survey ''. National Shooting Sports Foundation. 2010 - 04 - 19. Archived from the original on 2010 - 04 - 25. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ Peters, Justin ( 2016 - 06 - 14 ). `` Omar Mateen Had a `` Modern Sporting Rifle '' ``. Slate. ISSN 1091 - 2339. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 16. ^ Jump up to : `` DPMS Founder and President Retires ''. The Outdoor Wire Digital Network. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2013. Luth 's quest to introduce the hunting market to the AR platform was recognized in January 2009 when he was named to the Outdoor Life 's OL - 25, and later chosen by online voters as the OL - 25 `` Reader 's Choice '' recipient. The recent campaign by the NSSF to educate hunters everywhere about the `` modern sporting rifle '' can be directly attributed to Luth 's push to make AR rifles acceptable firearms in the field, the woods and on the range. Jump up ^ `` Modern Sporting Rifle - AR - 15 platform - based rifles ''. NSSF. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 16. Jump up ^ Richardson, Reed ( July 12, 2016 ). `` American Rifle : A Biography of the AR - 15 ''. Talking Points Memo. Retrieved March 28, 2017. Fueled by this `` Obama effect '' -- his reelection in 2012 coincided with the best month for gun sales in decades -- every mainline gun manufacturer now sells an AR - 15 model. Jump up ^ `` AR - 15 - Trademark Details ''. JUSTIA Trademarks. Retrieved 27 February 2018. ^ Jump up to : Colt ( January 1980 ). M16A1 RIFLE. Hartford, Connecticut : Colt 's Manufacturing Company. Jump up ^ Patrick Sweeney ARS Across the Board Archived 2011 - 08 - 19 at the Wayback Machine... GUNS&AMMO November 2010 Jump up ^ `` Chicago Tribune : Why Assault Rifle Sales are Booming - The Truth About Guns ''. June 17, 2015. Jump up ^ Levings, Darryl ( February 2, 2013 ). `` AR - 15 rifle more loved -- and hated -- than ever - Amid the rising call for the rifle to be banned, sales of the `` Barbie doll for guys '' have soared ``. Kansas City Star. Retrieved 10 August 2016. Jump up ^ Kyle, Chris ( 2014 ). American Gun. William Morrow Paperbacks. p. 252. ISBN 0062242725. Jump up ^ Stokes, Jon. `` The AR - 15 Is More Than a Gun. It 's a Gadget ''. WIRED. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Fifteen of the Best Cheap AR Accessories ''. The Shooter 's Log. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Lego Kits for Adults ''. AR Blog. 2016 - 07 - 13. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Modern Sporting Rifle ''. National Shooting Sports Foundation. Retrieved 27 February 2018. ^ Jump up to : Popenker, Maxim. `` Ar - 15 - type rifles ''. Modern Firearms. Retrieved 27 February 2018. ^ Jump up to : Horman, B. GIl. `` Review : Troy 223 National Sporting Pump - Action Rifle ''. American Rifleman. Retrieved 27 February 2018. Jump up ^ Craige, John Houston The Practical Book of American Guns ( 1950 ) Bramhall House pp. 108 -- 114 Jump up ^ Chaurasia BD, Mathur BB ( 1976 ). `` Eyedness ''. Acta Anat ( Basel ). 96 ( 2 ) : 301 -- 5. doi : 10.1159 / 000144681. PMID 970109. Jump up ^ Hardyck C, Petrinovich LF ( 1977 ). `` Left - handedness ''. Psychol Bull. 84 ( 3 ) : 385 -- 404. doi : 10.1037 / 0033 - 2909.84. 3.385. PMID 859955. Jump up ^ Boddington, Craig. `` Rifles For Left - Out Lefties ''. American Rifleman. Retrieved 6 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` LEFT HAND ''. Moriarti Armaments. Retrieved 6 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` Left Handed Upper Halves ''. Stag Arms. Retrieved 6 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` LEFT HANDED ''. Black Rain Ordnance. Retrieved 6 March 2018. Jump up ^ `` AR - 15 COMPMAG ''. COMPMAG. Retrieved 27 February 2018. Jump up ^ LaPedis, Ron. `` How to make your AR great again -- in California ''. PoliceOne. Retrieved 27 February 2018. Jump up ^ `` ComGraf Pump Action Rifle ''. TREND EDITOR. Retrieved 27 February 2018. Jump up ^ Bartocci, Christopher. `` AR - 15 / M16 : The Rifle That Was Never Supposed to Be ''. GunDigest. Gun Digest Media. Retrieved March 6, 2018. Jump up ^ Zimba, Jeff ( 2014 ). The Evolution of the Black Rifle. Prepper Press. ISBN 0692317260. Jump up ^ Muramatsu, Kevin ( 2014 ). Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR - 15. F + W Media, Inc. ISBN 1440242798. Jump up ^ Hanks, D.A. ( 2004 ). Workbench AR - 15 Project. Paladin Press. ISBN 1610048466. Jump up ^ Leghorn, Nick. `` Ask Foghorn : What 's the Difference Between a Full Auto and Semi-Auto Only AR - 15 Bolt Carrier ? ''. The Truth About Guns. THETRUTHABOUTGUNS.COM. Retrieved March 6, 2018. Jump up ^ Sweeney, Patrick ( 2016 ). Gunsmithing the Ar - 15, the Bench Manual. F + W Media, Inc. ISBN 1440246602. ^ Jump up to : Mann, Richard A. ( 30 April 2014 ). GunDigest Shooter 's Guide to the AR - 15. Iola, Wisconsin : Krause Publications. pp. 15 -- 16. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4402 - 3847 - 5. Jump up ^ Sweeney, Patrick ( 30 August 2016 ). Gunsmithing the AR - 15, the Bench Manual. Iola, Wisconsin : F + W Media, Inc. pp. 7 -- 9. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4402 - 4660 - 9. Jump up ^ O'Dea, Meghan ( June 13, 2016 ). `` What Makes the AR - 15 So Appealing to Mass Shooters ? ''. Fortune. Retrieved February 15, 2018. While Colt alone makes the official AR - 15, variants and knock - offs are made by a huge number of gun manufactures, including Bushmaster, Les Baer, Remington, Smith & Wesson ( swhc, + 0.00 % ), and Sturm & Ruger ( rgr, - 2.04 % ), just to name a few. TacticalRetailer claims that from 2000 to 2015 the AR manufacturing sector expanded from 29 AR makers to about 500, `` a stunning 1,700 % increase. '' ^ Jump up to : Evolution of an AR Gear Guns & Ammo Archived September 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine... Archives.gunsandammo.com ( August 29, 2011 ). Retrieved on 2011 - 09 - 27. Jump up ^ Schoen, John W. ( 13 June 2016 ). `` Owned by 5 million Americans, AR - 15 under renewed fire after Orlando massacre ''. Jump up ^ Davis, Ann L. `` How can a bullet be traced to a particular gun ? ''. Scientific American. Retrieved 27 February 2018. Jump up ^ U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition Failures and Solutions, GK Roberts, NDIA Dallas, TX, May 21, 2008 `` Archived copy '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2011 - 06 - 28. Retrieved 2011 - 02 - 04. ^ Jump up to : `` In Many U.S. States, 18 Is Old Enough to Buy a Semiautomatic ''. CBS News. The Associated Press. February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018. On average, more than 13,000 people are killed each year in the United States by guns, and most of those incidents involve handguns while a tiny fraction involve an AR - style firearm. Still, the AR plays an oversized role in many of the most high - profile shootings... Jump up ^ `` Expanded Homicide Data Table 4 ''. 2016 Crime in the United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 26. Jump up ^ Balko, Radley ( 2013 - 07 - 09 ). Rise of the Warrior Cop : The Militarization of America 's Police Forces. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781610392129. Jump up ^ Smith, Aaron ( June 21, 2016 ). `` Why the AR - 15 is the mass shooter 's go - to weapon ''. CNN. Retrieved February 15, 2018. The AR - 15, the type of rifle used in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, is the weapon of choice for mass killers. Jump up ^ Picchi, Aimee ( June 15, 2016 ). `` America 's rifle : The marketing of assault - style weapons ''. CBS MoneyWatch. CBS News. Retrieved February 23, 2018. America has grown accustomed to military - style semi-automatic weapons such as the AR - 15. It 's not hard to see why : These firearms have been heavily marketed to gun owners. But at the same time, they 're often the weapons of choice for mass murderers. Jump up ^ Zhang, Sarah ( June 17, 2016 ). `` What an AR - 15 Can Do to the Human Body ''. Wired. Retrieved March 3, 2018. The AR - 15 is America 's most popular rifle. It has also been the weapon of choice in mass shootings from Sandy Hook to Aurora to San Bernardino. Jump up ^ Williams, Joseph P. ( November 7, 2017 ). `` How the AR - 15 Became One of the Most Popular Guns in America, A brief history of the guns that have become the weapons of choice for mass shootings ''. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved February 15, 2018. They 're lightweight, relatively cheap and extremely lethal, inspired by Nazi infantrymen on the Eastern Front during World War II. They 're so user - friendly some retailers recommend them for children, yet their design is so aggressive one marketer compared them to carrying a `` man card '' -- although ladies who dare can get theirs in pink. And if the last few mass shootings are any indication, guns modeled after the AR - 15 assault rifle -- arguably the most popular, most enduring and most profitable firearm in the U.S. -- have become the weapon of choice for unstable, homicidal men who want to kill a lot of people very, very quickly. Jump up ^ Jansen, Bart ; Cummings, William ( November 6, 2017 ). `` Why mass shooters are increasingly using AR - 15s ''. USA Today. Retrieved February 15, 2018. AR - 15 style rifles have been the weapon of choice in many recent mass shootings, including the Texas church shooting Sunday, the Las Vegas concert last month, the Orlando nightclub last year and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Jump up ^ Oppel Jr., Richard A. ( February 15, 2018 ). `` In Florida, an AR - 15 Is Easier to Buy Than a Handgun ''. The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2018. The N.R.A. calls the AR - 15 the most popular rifle in America. The carnage in Florida on Wednesday that left at least 17 dead seemed to confirm that the rifle and its variants have also become the weapons of choice for mass killers. Jump up ^ Lloyd, Whitney ( February 16, 2018 ). `` Why AR - 15 - style rifles are popular among mass shooters ''. ABC News. Retrieved March 2, 2018. AR - 15 - style rifles have become something of a weapon of choice for mass shooters. Jump up ^ Beckett, Lois ( February 16, 2018 ). `` Most Americans can buy an AR - 15 rifle before they can buy beer ''. The Guardian. Retrieved March 2, 2018. While AR - 15 style rifles have become the weapon of choice for some of America 's most recent and deadly mass shootings, these military - style guns are still comparatively rarely used in everyday gun violence. Jump up ^ Samis, Max ( April 22, 2018 ). `` Brady Campaign Responds to Developments in Nashville Waffle House Shooting ''. Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Retrieved May 4, 2018. Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, stated, ' It adds insult to the literal injuries and loss of life suffered by today 's victims that even though the killer was known to be too dangerous to have guns, his father chose to rearm him including, reportedly, with the AR - 15 used this morning, a weapon of war that now happens to be the weapon of choice in far too many mass killings in America. ' Jump up ^ Pearce, Matt ( 14 February 2018 ). `` Mass shootings are getting deadlier. And the latest ones all have something new in common : The AR - 15 ''. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 May 2018. in all of the latest incidents... the attackers primarily used AR - 15 semiautomatic rifles. ^ Jump up to : `` Why the AR - 15 keeps appearing at America 's deadliest mass shootings ''. USA Today. Retrieved 22 February 2018. Jump up ^ Shapiro, Emily ( February 14, 2018 ). `` At least 17 dead in ' horrific ' Florida school shooting, suspect had ' countless magazines ' ''. ABC News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018. Jump up ^ Oakes, Dan ( 2013 - 01 - 23 ). `` Assault guns made here ''. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Firearms in Australia : a guide to electronic resources ''. aph.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2015. Jump up ^ `` How Australia Passed Gun Control : The Port Arthur Massacre and Beyond ''. Foreign Affairs. October 13, 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2018. Jump up ^ Wahlquist, Calla ( 14 March 2016 ). `` It took one massacre : how Australia embraced gun control after Port Arthur ''. The Guardian. Bibliography Wikimedia Commons has media related to AR - 15. Stevens, R. Blake and Edward C. Ezell. The Black Rifle M16 Retrospective. Enhanced second printing. Cobourg, Ontario, Canada : Collector Grade Publications Incorporated, 1994. ISBN 0 - 88935 - 115 - 5. Bartocci, Christopher R. Black Rifle II The M16 Into the 21st Century. Cobourg, Ontario, Canada : Collector Grade Publications Incorporated, 2004. ISBN 0 - 88935 - 348 - 4. ArmaLite AR - 10 derivatives Battle rifles Standard ArmaLite AR - 10 Heckler & Koch HK417 MPT - 76 Sniper rifles M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System Marine Scout Sniper Rifle Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle SEAL Recon Rifle SR - 25 United States Marine Corps Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle United States Army Squad Designated Marksman Rifle Assault rifles Standard ArmaLite AR - 15 M16 rifle variants Colt Advanced Piston Carbine Colt ACR Colt Canada C7 Adcor A-556 Barrett REC7 Barrett M468 Heckler & Koch HK416 KH - 2002 Knight 's Armament Company SR - 47 LR - 300 LWRC M6 Norinco CQ PVAR Remington GPC Safir T - series SOCIMI AR - 831 T65 T86 T91 Carbines CAR - 15 M4 carbine Bushmaster M4 - type Carbine Close Quarters Battle Receiver CMMG Mk45 G13 carbine Olympic Arms OA - 93 SIG516 Special Operations Assault Rifle Submachine guns Colt 9mm SMG CAR - 15 Submachine Gun La France M16K Personal defense weapons Colt MARS AR - 57 AAC Honey Badger PDW GA Personal Defense Weapon Machine guns Colt Automatic Rifle Ares Shrike 5.56 M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle Semi-automatic rifles Centerfire Colt AR - 15 variants AR - 15 style rifle Bushmaster XM - 15 Heckler & Koch MR223 Heckler & Koch MR308 Ruger SR - 556 SIG MCX SIG Sauer SIG516 SIG Sauer SIGM400 Smith & Wesson M&P10 Smith & Wesson M&P15 CMMG Mk47 Mutant Rimfire Armi Jager AP - 74 Smith & Wesson M&P15 - 22 Shotguns Intrepid RAS - 12 Safir T - series UTAS XTR - 12 Pistols Carbon 15 Olympic Arms OA - 93 Other developments M231 Firing Port Weapon CM901 Daewoo K2 Colt 's Manufacturing Company Revolvers 19th Century M1860 Army M1851 Navy Dragoon Model 1855 M1861 Navy Paterson Pocket Percussion Walker Open Top Open Top Pocket Model House New Line Single Action Army Buntline M1877 M1878 M1889 M1892 20th Century Model 1905 New Police New Service Official Police Police Positive Police Positive Special Anaconda Cobra Detective Special Diamondback King Cobra Python Trooper Semi-automatic pistols M1911 Colt 2000 Ace Commander Delta Elite Double Eagle M1900 M1902 Model 1903 Pocket Hammer Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless Model 1908 Vest Pocket Officer 's ACP Woodsman SSP Mustang Rifles, PDWs, and Machine Guns OHWS SCAMP Burgess Lightning Carbine M1839 Carbine Revolving Rifle Ring Lever AR - 15 variants M1895 Colt - Browning machine gun M16 CAR - 15 M4 Carbine Colt Automatic Rifle C7 Advanced Colt Carbine - Monolithic ACR MARS 9mm SMG Cartridges Revolver. 32 Long Colt. 38 Short Colt. 38 Long Colt. 41 Long Colt. 44 Colt. 45 Colt Semi-automatic pistol. 25 ACP. 32 ACP. 380 ACP. 38 ACP. 45 ACP People Samuel Colt Elizabeth Jarvis Colt Richard Jarvis William Mason Charles Brinckerhoff Richards Related Colt Armory Colt Defense National Arms Company Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AR-15_style_rifle&oldid=842602841 '' Categories : ArmaLite AR - 10 derivatives 5.56 mm firearms Semi-automatic rifles Semi-automatic pistols Semi-automatic shotguns AR Rifle Components Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia pages protected due to dispute Pages using div col with deprecated parameters Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 23 May 2018, at 13 : 47. About Wikipedia

Question: how many ar 15 type rifles in america
Answer: an estimated 10-12 million