Detective Barbara J. Mattson with a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, a type of weapon often used in US mass shootings.AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File
The police say Wednesday's mass shooting, which killed 17 and injured 14 at a Florida high school, involved an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.
The same type of gun has been used in the deadliest shootings in modern US history.
The suspect in Florida, who legally bought the AR-15 authorities say was used in the attack, reportedly was once barred from carrying a backpack to his own high school for disciplinary reasons.
The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida on Wednesday, which left at least 17 people dead and 14 injured, seems to share a common thread with the deadliest mass shootings in modern US history: the AR-15 rifle.
When Adam Lanza killed 20 children, six teachers, his mother, and himself in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, he used an AR-15.
When Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 50 others shooting up the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, he had a version of an AR-15 among his arsenal.
When Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd story of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on a crowd at a music festival in October, he had AR-15s among his many guns.
The next month, when Devin Kelley killed 26 people in a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, he had an AR-15-style Ruger on him.
Now Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old accused of attacking Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the high school he was expelled from, seems to have joined the ranks of the deadliest killers in US history by virtue of the weapon used.
"The AR-15 has soared in popularity amongst gun owners, due to a wide-range of factors. It is customizable, adaptable, reliable and accurate that can be used in sport shooting, hunting and self-defense situations.
"Civilians can also modify and personalize their AR-15 from carbine-length, stocks, optics, barrels, etc. The AR-15s ability to be modified to your own personal taste is one of the things that makes it so unique."
In the case of Paddock, the deadliest mass shooter in modern US history, his personal taste involved a "bump stock," a device that allowed him to circumvent laws against automatic weapons by increasing the rate of fire of his semiautomatic rifles.
But even without a bump stock, an AR-15 fires as quickly as its operator can pull the trigger.
The NRA is right in that the AR-15, which costs a few hundred dollars, is nearly infinitely customizable. With shorter barrels and stocks, it can be made small enough to conceal on one's person.
An Instagram post appearing to show Nikolas Cruz, the suspect in Wednesday’s attack, posing with a toy gun.Instagram/cruz.nikolaus
Senate Election Polls All Election Polls Senate 2014 Governor 2014 House 2014 Election 2016 All Latest Polls Thursday, October 23 Race/Topic (Click to Sort) Poll Results Spread New Hampshire Senate - Brown vs. Shaheen CNN/Opinion Research Shaheen 49, Brown 47 Shaheen +2 New Hampshire Senate - Brown vs. Shaheen ARG Shaheen 49, Brown 48 Shaheen +1 Iowa Senate - Ernst vs. Braley Quinnipiac Ernst 48, Braley 46 Ernst +2 Colorado Senate - Gardner vs. Udall Reuters/Ipsos Gardner 47, Udall 45 Gardner +2 North Carolina Senate - Tillis vs. Hagan Civitas (R) Hagan 44, Tillis 44 Tie Kansas Senate - Roberts vs. Orman Rasmussen Reports Orman 49, Roberts 44 Orman +5 Georgia Senate - Perdue vs. Nunn InsiderAdvantage* Nunn 47, Perdue 45 Nunn +2 Michigan Senate - Land vs. Peters EPIC-MRA Peters 45, Land 34 Peters +11 Texas Senate - Cornyn vs. Alameel UT/Texas Tribune* Cornyn 57, Alameel 31 Cornyn +26 Wednesday, October 22 Race/Topic (Click to Sort) Poll Results Sprea...
Mark Roderick Aungst , 47, of South Williamsport, died on Wednesday. Lycoming County coroner Charles E. Kiessling, Jr. , confirmed Aungst’s death to Law & Crime. Court filings show that Aungst had pleaded guilty in June to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. He had come to Washington on a chartered bus from Pennsylvania to the Capitol in order to attend Donald Trump’s so-called “Stop the Steal” rally. Aungst and his co-defendant, Tammy Bronsburg , admitted to entering the building at around 2:45 p.m., some 30 minutes after the initial breach, and leaving 30 seconds later. They re-entered the building at around 3:05 p.m. and spent about 10 minutes inside, taking pictures and video. They encountered law enforcement and were told to leave. Neither had been accused of assault or property destruction. Aungst, a gas field well service techn...
Comments
Post a Comment