History of the AR-15

Brut America

The NRA calls it "America's rifle." It was built for the military, banned, and used in some of the nation's deadliest shootings.   This is the history of the AR-15.

Transcript

00:00I'm here to talk to you about AR-15 rifles.

00:16I have an AR-15 at the house, you should grab it.

00:29When I first saw the shooters, I had an AR-15.

00:40What makes a legacy?

00:43Is it quality?

00:45Or craftsmanship?

01:15Let's take a look.

01:44Bushmaster was originally founded in 1973 and produced Air Force survivability pistols

01:50and bullpup rifles, but quickly became known for one of the first producers of the commercial

01:55AR-15 style rifle.

02:09Without eroding the rights of sportsmen and women in this country, we will finally ban

02:15these assault weapons from our street that have no purpose other than to kill.

02:40The AR-15 is one of the most effective tools available to protect yourself and your family.

02:47Embrace your freedom.

02:49Buy one if you want it.

02:57It was an AR-15 rifle.

03:05One senior law enforcement official tells CNN the weapon used in this mass shooting

03:10was an AR-15 style rifle again.

03:14No more death!

03:18No more death!

03:22No more death!

03:27No more death!

03:33No more death!

03:37No more death!

03:46I don't need a freaking assault weapon to defend myself.

03:50Only thing they're good for is killing.

03:52Period.

03:53That's all that weapon is good for, mass killing.

03:55It's time to change the gun laws.

03:56There should be no reason that an AR-15, an assault rifle, should be available to someone,

04:02anyone, who doesn't need one.

04:04The government is controlled right now by the NRA and the gun lobby.

04:09And for the vast majority of people I work with, there is no better firearm to defend

04:24their homes against realistic threats than an AR-15 semi-automatic.

04:28Let me just tell you from my experience in my district in eastern Colorado, an AR-15

04:34is used to kill raccoons or foxes or other animals that are predators and trying to disturb

04:41individuals.

04:42And semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 are so well suited for defensive action against

04:47threats in a civilian context that the Department of Homeland Security quite literally designates

04:53them as personal defense weapons for law enforcement officers.

04:58But that's my point.

05:01The fact is, any gun in a criminal's hand will kill someone.

05:06The fact is, the criminal with the gun is the problem.

05:17This isn't about completely eliminating the possibility of another new town.

05:24Unfortunately, very little in life is certain.

05:29However, if together we can make real progress and bring about meaningful change so that

05:36it is far less likely that others will have to die so young, so senselessly, then shouldn't

05:43we be doing everything we can to bring about that change?

05:54Gun violence in this country is an epidemic.

06:11Let me say it again.

06:14Gun violence in this country is an epidemic and it's an international embarrassment.

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