proposed laws

PA Bill Number: HB777

Title: In firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for definitions and providing for the offense of sale of firearm or firearm parts without ...

Description: In firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for definitions and providing for the offense of sale of firearm or firearm parts without ...

Last Action: Third consideration and final passage (104-97)

Last Action Date: Mar 27, 2024

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Are AR-15s assault rifles? Locals react to debate :: 07/24/2016

A DB-15 Diamondback modular rifle chambered for the .223, a rifle cartridge with similar dimensions to the NATO 5.56x45mm round. The rifle, owned by Logan Keeling, of Hanover, is modular and accepts various attachments including foregrips, flashlights or scopes according to Keeling. The magazine capacity can go up to 30 rounds "It's a sport rifle, I wouldn't call it an assault rifle," said Keeling.

Logan Keeling knew exactly what he wanted for his 18th birthday.

The Hanover native purchased his first rifle, a Diamondback DB-15, on his special day as a gift to himself. The AR-15-style gun, he feels, is a sport and competition rifle, and can also be used for self-defense. He feels strongly about his right to own one.

But, following several recent mass shootings involving gunmen using AR-15-style weapons, some people have challenged the need for civilians, like Keeling, to own this style of rifle.

The shooters in San Bernardino used two semi-automatic rifles that were considered versions of an AR-15. The attackers altered the guns to make them fully automatic and hold more rounds of ammunition. At Sandy Hook, the gunman reportedly used a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle and two handguns.

Most recently, the shooter at an Orlando nightclub fired two guns, one a semi-automatic rifle that used an AR-15-style magazine.

Some people consider these types of guns assault weapons and advocate for increased regulations or outright bans. Others believe a ban on AR-15-style guns is discrimination and people just aren't educated enough about the weapon.

Keeling knows where he stands in the debate. He has considered himself a gun enthusiast since the day he purchased his first AR-15.

"They're not to be taken lightly or looked at as toys," he said. "But if you ban rifles, the criminals will still use them. For example, during the prohibition, law-abiding citizens could not get alcohol, but those who wanted it and had no regard for the law were able to get it in some fashion. The people who want weapons will find a way to get their hands on them, no matter what they have to do."

In southcentral Pennsylvania, Keeling is far from alone in that opinion.

What is an AR-15?

The AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle. Unlike a fully automatic weapon, which shoots multiple bullets with one pull of the trigger, the AR-15 fires only one bullet each time the trigger is pulled.

The rifle's letters stand for "Armalite Rifle," based on the company that created the weapon, and 15 is the model number.

Many semi-automatic rifles and guns like the AR-15 are used for long-range and target shooting, as well as recreational activities like hunting, said Jeremy Davis, owner of Redding's Hardware in Gettysburg.

They are legal in all 50 states, provided the purchaser passes mandatory FBI background checks required for all retail gun purchasers, according to a USAToday report that cites the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a pro-gun trade association.

Approximately 5 million to 10 million are legally owned in the United States, according to the foundation.

Is it an assault rifle?

Although some people refer to AR-15s as assault rifles, many gun owners object to the term.

The Shooting Sports Foundation, which calls them "modern sporting rifles," argues the guns don't meet the rapid-fire standard, according to USAToday.

"An assault rifle is fully automatic — a machine gun," the foundation states on its website. "If someone calls an AR-15 style rifle an 'assault weapon,' he or she either supports banning these firearms or does not understand their function and sporting use, or both. Please correct them."

Other groups, however, argue that an assault rifle is any military-style rifle, even if it doesn't have fully automatic capabilities. The guns, some argue, are designed solely to kill large numbers of people.

The legal standard for the terms vary by jurisdictions, according to the USAToday report.

"There's so much misinformation out there," said gun owner Ryan Taylor, 34, of Biglerville. "It's always been the black, scary looking weapon the public has been taught to be afraid of; they've been conditioned to be afraid of it without knowing how it works."

The gun looks and, in some ways, operates in a fashion similar to the fully automatic military weapon that gun manufacturer Colt modeled after it — the M-16, according to USAToday.

Both the AR-15 and M-16 are high-powered rifles that users can reload quickly by swapping out spent magazines, which typically hold 30 rounds of ammunition, according the USAToday report. Both the military and civilian versions are lightweight and use a pistol grip and trigger assemblies.

The AR-15, however, contains significant modifications that set it apart from the military M-16 — and its shorter modern successor, the M-4  —including different triggers, only one selector for semi-automatic firing, barrel variations and different internal components, Davis said.

"It's way different than a military rifle. There are a thousand ways you can build an AR-style rifle," he said. "AR-15s are built to military spec, but they are not generally the same firearm you'll find in the military."

Why some people don't like them

The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, a national policy advocacy nonprofit, believe shooters' ability to purchase AR-style weapons, which the coalition consider "assault weapons," poses a major problem.

"Assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines remain weapons of choice in mass shootings and attacks on law enforcement officers," the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence states.

In 1994, the federal government deemed the AR-15 and similar guns as assault weapons and banned gun companies from manufacturing them. This ban, which only lasted 10 years, had a mostly positive impact on gun violence, according to research conducted by the National Institute of Justice two years after the ban's enactment.

Criminal use of the banned guns declined temporarily after the law went into effect, according to the institute. Evidence also suggests the ban may have contributed to a reduction in the gun murder rate, including the murders of police officers by criminals armed with these types of weapons.

But the ban failed to reduce the average number of victims per gun murder incident, the research states.

Some groups opposed to civilians having AR-15s argue the gun's large magazine size makes it a risk to the public.

An AR-15 magazine often holds up to 30 or 40 rounds. Some magazines even hold 60 or more, although they're more expensive. Pistols and handguns, by contrast, frequently use lower-capacity magazines that hold about 10 rounds, with a few models able to hold more.

Advocates for AR-15-style guns, however, argue smaller guns can do just as much damage, and larger magazines can serve a practical purpose for people who use guns responsibly.

Steve Kroon, 32, of Hanover was raised on a farm in Hagerstown and used an assortment of handguns and rifles — which he still owns today — to keep his animals safe.

"Guns were used as tools around the farm more than it was a sport," he said. "We ran a chicken and dairy farm. It was more to keep the wild animals out and protect our livelihood."

He used his guns, including his AR-15, to protect his animals from foxes, coyotes and bears.

The way Kroon looks at it, if he had a wild cat or bear charging at him, he wouldn't have time to change out a smaller magazine.

"You can't tell the bear, 'Hold on, I need 30 seconds to reload,'" Kroon said. "You need it in life or death situations."

Why own an AR-15?

Davis counts himself among the people who believe bad people — not specific types of guns — are to blame for tragedies like the shootings in Orlando and San Bernardino.

"If you ban guns, you're only hurting the law-abiding citizens," he said. "If (the AR-15) was a military rifle, it'd be in the military and not on my shelf."

He's far from alone in that belief.

Jason Bartos, 26, of Spring Grove worked for a gun dealer for two years and grew up around guns, as his dad was a police officer for 20 years, he said. He owns handguns, hunting rifles and AR-15-style weapons.

The enjoyment of firearms comes from the mechanical side, he said, in being able to put the guns together, customize them and create a final product. He also uses them for target shooting.

"It's a big Lego set for adults," Bartos said.

Many people might think guns are just meant to kill, but Bartos doesn't see it that way. He and his father created memories by spending time together going shooting.

He believes the AR-15 is the most popular because it's so versatile, with its abilities for people to alter its caliber and its ease of shooting.

Taylor holds the same opinion as Bartos, believing the AR-15 styles are the easiest to operate and are designed to be simple, accurate and reliable.

"I can take you to a range and teach you to be accurate with an AR-15 much quicker than a handgun," Taylor said. "It's the best option when you're under stress in a life-threatening situation."

Taylor's also frustrated that people talk about banning AR-15s, when the gun they're trying to regulate isn't the most used — it's handguns, he said.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that handguns are the most used in crimes. About 70 percent of homicides in 2011 were committed with a handgun, according to a news release from the bureau.

"It's not about defending guns," Taylor said. "It's about defending freedom and the gift to life."

What's next?

Some gun owners, like Bartos, wouldn't mind additional regulations that require more forms to fill out or a more intense background check process. But Bartos shakes his head at the thought of banning any weapons.

"I don't think we'll ever get to the point of people seizing guns," said Timothy Shannon, chairman and professor in Gettysburg College's history department. "But it's a possibility we might see regulations of guns in manufacturing similar to owning an automobile."

Despite recent legislative efforts to strengthen background checks and prevent suspected terrorists from obtaining guns, Congress has not made any substantial changes to the nation's gun laws.

For now, the country remains divided about whether increased regulation of AR-15s and similar weapons could prevent more mass shootings.

Evening Sun and USAToday staff contributed to this report.

What does the Second Amendment say?

The Second Amendment of the Constitution states, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Back in the late 1700s when this was written, the main focus was to satisfy anti-federalists who were concerned the government would overreach in its powers, said Timothy Shannon, professor and chairperson of the history department at Gettysburg College.

The amendment was designed to allow states to maintain militias independently of the federal government, and by doing so preserve the collective right of people to bear arms. However, the term "well-regulated" in the amendment described a state-organized militia, not individual citizens coming together and forming their own group, he said.

Now, we don't have militias. We have the National Guard that was established in 1903 to help with events such as riots, taking the place of the former.

In today's society, many people cite the Second Amendment to protect their individual right to bear arms. But is that what it was meant to do?

"The second amendment is only one sentence long," Shannon said. "So it's all about interpretation of that. It's a highly contentious issue."

http://www.eveningsun.com/story/news/2016/07/22/ar-15s-assault-rifles-locals-react-debate/86303906/