The National Rifle Association reports several million Americans own at least one of the “customizable, adaptable, reliable and accurate” weapons, which it says is best suited for “sport shooting, hunting and self-defense situations.”
In recent years, however, the AR-15 has gained notoriety for being one of the most commonly used weapons in mass shootings. The Stanford Geospatial Center and Stanford Libraries and USA TODAY estimate the weapon was used in 13 mass shootings since 1984, including the Florida high school shooting that left 17 dead.
We asked gun-owning Tribune readers why they do or don’t own an AR-15.