The Terrifying History Of The AR-15 Assault Rifle, America's Most Popular Weapon

The attempted assassination bid of Donald Trump has shocked the world. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired a few rounds at Mr Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. 

The former US President was hit in the ear during the incident. His spokesperson Steven Cheung, in the initial health update, had stated that the 78-year-old is "fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility." 

The rifle used by Thomas Matthew Crooks has been identified as AR-15. Now, let us know why is it dangerous and the previous destructions caused using this rifle.

The rifle is part of the “modern sporting rifle” category. It is mostly used in competitions and hunting purposes. As per the Firearm Industry Trade Association, the initials AR stands for ArmaLite, the company that made it in the 1950s.

– The rifle, as per The Washington Post, was used in some of the deadliest shooting attacks in the US between 2012 and 2022. 

Texas Elementary School Mass Shooting – Nineteen young children and two teachers were killed when a teenage gunman went on a rampage at Robb Elementary School in May 2022 in America's worst school shooting in a decade. As per an ABC report, the teenager Salvador Ramos purchased two AR-15 rifles days after turning 18. 

Colorado Theater Shooting – In 2012, 12 people were killed during the midnight show of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, reported ABC. The shooter, James Holmes, had purchased four guns ahead of the show. He bought a ticket and watched the film with the people for some time before opening fire. 10 out of 12 people died on the scene, the report added.

Jacksonville shooter - A 21-year-old killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, last year. As per Reuters, the shooter, Ryan Christopher Palmeter, lived with his parents in a suburb of Jacksonville, Sheriff T.K. Waters told a news conference. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The report added that the shooter was carrying a handgun and an AR-15-style rifle, with swastikas on it.