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Modern sporting rifle (commonly referred to as an "AR-15 style rifle"), is a 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 AR-15 variants for commercial sale. These rifles are referred to as "modern sporting rifles" (MSR) by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade association, and by some manufacturers.

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 also been the weapon used in many mass shootings in the US. Several million are estimated to be in circulation in the United States.

Terminology

The term "Modern sporting rifle" was coined by the National Shooting Sports Foundation for its 2009 survey. It is a marketing term used by the gun industry to describe a category of modular semi-automatic rifles based on Colt AR-15 design. The AR-15 design was sold to Colt in 1959 and remains a Colt registered trademark (AR is contraction of Armalite, the original manufacturer).

Background

Colt started selling the semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle as the Colt AR-15 in 1964. Colt continues to use the AR-15 trademark for its line of semi-automatic rifles (AR-15, AR-15A2, AR-15A3 and AR-15A4) that are marketed to both civilian and law-enforcement customers.

The first version was the Colt 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 mounting a scope difficult and awkward to use. After Colt's patents expired in 1977, an active marketplace emerged around the Colt AR-15 rifle's design, all sharing the same basic characteristics of the AR-15.

In the 1990s AR-15 sales increased dramatically. Partly as a result of the introduction of the flat top upper receiver allowing scopes and sighting devices to be easily mounted and new features such as free floating hand guards that increased accuracy. In 1994, only a handful of companies were manufacturing AR-15 type rifles. However, by the twenty first century the number of generic AR-15s had more than doubled. By 2016, every major gun manufacturer produced a generic AR-15. All of these manufacturers market their generic AR-15s under separate designations, although these are all frequently referred to as AR-15s. In an effort avoid confusion, the firearms industry began to call these generic AR-15s modern sporting rifles or MSRs.

Modern semi-automatic 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. These rifles may also have short-stroke gas piston system, forgoing the direct gas system standard in AR-15 rifles. These calibers include the 5.56×45mm NATO, 5.7×28mm, 6.8mm Remington SPC,.300 Blackout, 9×19mm Parabellum and .458 SOCOM to name a few.

There is also a vast assortment of aftermarket parts and accessories available for these rifles. Due to the myriad options, AR-15s have been referred to as "the Swiss Army knife of rifles", "Barbie Dolls for Guys" or "LEGOs" for adults.

Use in mass shootings

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 high capacity semi-automatic rifles in that country.

AR-15 variants are frequently used in mass shootings in the United States, including in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, 2012 Aurora shooting, 2015 San Bernardino attack and 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. However, they are used in a very low percentage of gun crimes in the U.S. overall.

List of models

• ArmaLite M-15
• Barrett REC7
• Bushmaster XM-15
• Colt AR-15
• Carbon 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 MCX
• SIG Sauer SIG516
• SIG Sauer SIGM400
• Smith & Wesson M&P15
• Stag Arms STAG-15
• Wilson Combat Tactical Rifle

See also

• List of Colt AR-15 & M16 rifle variants, a list of Colt-made firearms based on the ArmaLite AR-15 design
• List of AR platform calibers, a list of calibers that AR-15 type firearms are chambered for
• Assault weapons legislation in the United States

References

1. ^ Jeff Zimba. The Evolution of the Black Rifle: 20 Years of Upgrades, Options, and Accessories.
2. "Modern Sporting Rifle Facts". National Shooting Sports Foundation. 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
3. ^ 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.
4. "Modern Sporting Rifle Owners Are Most Active Shooters, Says NSSF/Responsive Management Survey". National Shooting Sports Foundation. 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
5. Peters, Justin (2016-06-14). "Omar Mateen Had a "Modern Sporting Rifle"". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
6. Bartocci, Christopher R. (July 16, 2012). "AR-15/M16: The Rifle That Was Never Supposed to Be". Gun Digest. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
7. ^ "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.
8. "Modern Sporting Rifle - AR-15 platform-based rifles". NSSF. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
9. ^ Bob Hutton & Bob Forker (October 1964). "A Beautiful Marriage: .223 Remington and Colt's AR-15 'Sporter'". Guns & Ammo.
10. ^ 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. 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.
15. Patrick Sweeney ARS Across the Board Archived 2011-08-19 at the Wayback Machine. GUNS&AMMO November 2010
16. "Chicago Tribune: Why Assault Rifle Sales are Booming - The Truth About Guns". June 17, 2015.
17. 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.
18. Kyle, Chris (2014). American Gun. William Morrow Paperbacks. p. 252. ISBN 0062242725.
19. Stokes, Jon. "The AR-15 Is More Than a Gun. It's a Gadget". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
20. "Fifteen of the Best Cheap AR Accessories". The Shooter's Log. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
21. "Lego Kits for Adults". AR Blog. 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
22. "Firearms in Australia: a guide to electronic resources". aph.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
23. "How Australia Passed Gun Control: The Port Arthur Massacre and Beyond". Foreign Affairs. October 13, 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
24. Wahlquist, Calla (14 March 2016). "It took one massacre: how Australia embraced gun control after Port Arthur". The Guardian.
25. 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. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
26. "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...

Bibliography

• 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.

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