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.
This is the history of the AR-15.
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NewsTranscript
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.