How the AR-15 Became ‘America’s Gun’
We talk about why the AR-15, originally designed as a lightweight combat weapon, has risen to mass market dominance over the last two decades and why it’s remained free from congressional scrutiny.
April 6, 2023
55 min
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1,748 of 3,393
April 6, 2023
How the AR-15 Became ‘America’s Gun’
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55:46This episodeHow the AR-15 Became ‘America’s Gun’
Summary
About 16 million Americans – or about 1 in 20 U.S. adults – own at least one AR-15, making it the best-selling rifle in the United States. It’s also among the most lethal: ten of the 17 deadliest U.S. mass shootings in the last decade have involved AR-15s, according to “American Icon,” a new investigation by the Washington Post. We talk about why the AR-15, originally designed as a lightweight combat weapon, has risen to mass market dominance over the last two decades and why it’s remained free from congressional scrutiny.
Guests:
Mark Follman, national affairs editor, Mother Jones; author, "Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America"
Peter Wallsten, senior national investigations editor, Washington Post
Silvia Foster-Frau, multiculturalism reporter, Washington Post
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