America's love for military style weapons and AR-15, the assault rifle used in Texas school shooting

What makes AR-15s so deadly?

After a gunman killed 19 students and two instructors in Uvalde, the AR-15 is once again under examination.

The AR-15 is a semi-automatic weapon, which means it can fire several shots in a short period of time.

AR-15s shoot high-velocity rounds that move at three times the speed of a pistol cartridge, are extremely accurate across long distances, and inflict massive wounds on soft tissue and internal organs.

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Salvador Ramos

On Tuesday, Salvador Ramos attacked Robb Elementary School with a high-end AR-15 from Daniel Defense.

Despite the fact that pistols kill more people in the United States each year, AR-15s are commonly utilised in high-profile mass shootings.

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Buying an assault rifle: As easy as pie

Purchasing an AR-15 is simple. Depending on their place of residency, a potential owner can walk into a gun shop and buy a rifle or shotgun after producing a valid ID and passing a federal background check.

Soon after turning 18, Ramos legally purchased two AR-15 rifles and several hundred rounds of ammunition.

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The procedure for purchasing an assault rifle

The procedure checks into a buyer's criminal background as well as whether or not they have ever been committed to a mental facility. However, in the case of private sales, even this rudimentary screening can be bypassed.

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A highly customizable weapon

The National Rifle Association (NRA) promotes the AR-15 rifles for target shooting and home defence, but critics argue that their lethality makes them unfit for public use.

The fact that AR-15s may be customised with scopes, large-capacity magazines, and a variety of additional attachments is one of the reasons for their appeal in America.

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Why haven't these been banned for public use?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has no idea how many assault weapons are in circulation in the United States since they are not allowed to retain a gun registry database by federal law.

By 2018, the National Shooting Sports Foundation estimated that more than 16 million rifles had been sold to the general public in the United States.

Assault weapons were outlawed in 1994 under President Bill Clinton, but the ban expired in 2004 due to pressure from the powerful NRA, and congressional attempts to reinstate the ban have failed since then.

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