AR-15 style guns sold as a sign of manhood as shootings rise
AR-15 way guns sold while a sign of manhood while shootings rise
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gun makers have taken inside additional than $1 billion from selling AR-15-style guns over the past decade, at times marketing them while a way for young men to demonstrate their masculinity, flat while the number of pile shootings increases, according to a House investigation unveiled Wednesday.
The weapons have been used inside massacres that have horrified the nation, including one that left-hand 10 people deceased at a grocery store inside Buffalo with every one other accompanied by another where 19 children with every one other accompanied by set of two teachers were report to demise inside Uvalde, Texas.
The Committee on Oversight with every one other accompanied by Reform said some ads mimic well liked first-person shooter video games or tout the weapons' military pedigree while others claim the guns will place buyers "at the top of the testosterone food chain."
Those sales tactics are "deeply disturbing, exploitative with every one other accompanied by reckless," said Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York. "In short, the firearm manufacturing is profiting off the gore of guiltless Americans."
Gun makers, on the other hand, said AR-15-style rifles are in charge of for a small part of firearm homicides with every one other accompanied by the clasp in charge of must go to the shooters by preference than their weapons.
"What we saw inside Uvalde, Buffalo with every one other accompanied by Highland Park was pure evil," said Marty Daniels, the CEO of Daniel Defense, the firm that made the weapon used inside Texas. "The cruelty of the murderers who committed these acts is unfathomable with every one other accompanied by greatly disturbs me, my family, my employees with every one other accompanied by millions of Americans across this country."
However, he added subsequent inside testimony earlier to the committee, "I exist convinced by that these murders are local problems that have to exist solved locally."
Gun violence all-inclusive spiked inside 2020, nevertheless recent statistics demonstrate it is coming down this year inside numerous cities.
The House panel's investigation focused on five greatest gunmakers, with every one other accompanied by found they took inside a combined total of additional than $1 billion inside income over the past 10 years from the sale of AR-15-style firearms. The income numbers were released for the committee hearing focused on the marketing with every one other accompanied by sales of the firearms that have gained notoriety since of their use inside the pile killings.
Two of the companies roughly tripled their income from the weapons over the past trio years, the committee found. Daniel Defense, based near Savannah, Georgia, raised that income from $40 million inside 2019 to additional than $120 million last year. The firm sells weapons exist fond of the one used inside Uvalde on praise with every one other accompanied by advertises that financing tin exist approved "in seconds."
Salvador Ramos, accused inside the Uvalde shootings, began purchasing firearms with every one other accompanied by ammunition when he turned 18, eventually spending additional than $5,000 on set of two AR-style rifles, ammunition with every one other accompanied by other gearwheel inside the days earlier to the massacre, authorities have said.
Sturm, Ruger & Co.'s gross revenue, meanwhile, has almost tripled from $39 million to $103 million since 2019, with every one other accompanied by Smith with every one other accompanied by Wesson reported that its revenues from all lengthy guns doubled from 2019 to 2021. Gun manufacturers, the committee said, don't congregate or break down safety facts related to firearms.
The increases are opposed to a backdrop of a record-setting all-inclusive grow inside firearm sales that began around the start of the coronavirus pandemic. About 8.5 million people bought guns for the earliest hour dated inside 2020, said Republican Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia. He added that, "American people have a just to own guns."
The hearing comes amid a push by House Democrats to obtain legislation passed that would ban sure semi-automatic weapons. It's the lawmakers' most far-reaching response yet to this summer's pile shootings.
While AR-15-style firearms aren't necessarily the main drivers of U.S. firearm violence overall, their design allows shooters to injury additional people from a greater distance, said Kelly Sampson, older counsel with every one other accompanied by director of ethnic justice accompanied by Brady, a category pressing to extremity firearm violence that normally supports restrictions.
"If we renew the assault weapons ban, that would lay clasp of away a answer small portion of what allows pile shooters to kill additional people inside less hour dated lacking having to place an extremity to to reload," she said.
There have been 15 pile killings this year, according to the Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database. According to that research, those incidents have left-hand 86 deceased with every one other accompanied by 63 injured. Guns were used inside all of them, with every one other accompanied by inside at least septet instances they were AR-15-style weapons. Mass killings are defined while incidents where at least quartet people are killed.
But the AR-15 with every one other accompanied by similar weapons are too well liked accompanied by people who buy guns for ego defense, said Antonia Okafor, the national director of outreach for the category Gun Owners of America. Such rifles permit people, including women, to shoot a larger firearm lacking having to absorb while a a large amount of recoil.
"The AR-15 makes it easier for those who have a physical disadvantage to the attacker to have an upper hand," she said.
Wednesday's hearing marked the earliest hour dated inside 20 years that CEOs of leading firearm manufacturers testified concerning their businesses, Maloney said.
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