Zusha Elinson: Colt, which made the military version of this gun, the M16, tried to sell the AR-15 to civilians, and it was not popular. Kate Linebaugh: But when they first became available to the public in the '60s, gun owners weren't that interested. But other than that, it was very similar to the military cousin, the M16. Zusha Elinson: The company that made the M16 for the military decided they wanted to also sell a version to civilians in America, and they made one little change to the gun, which is that they made it semiautomatic. He says the AR-15 was invented in the 1950s and eventually evolved into the M-6, a fully automatic rifle used by the military.
Kate Linebaugh: Our colleague Zusha Elinson covers guns, and is currently coauthoring a book on the history of the AR-15. It is a gun that can be used to kill a lot of people very quickly. Zusha Elinson: It is a semiautomatic weapon that you can fire as fast as you can pull the trigger, and it can be outfitted with high-capacity magazines. Every time you pull the trigger, it fires. They are all semiautomatic rifles, meaning the gun basically reloads itself. There are a variety of AR-15-style weapons on the market. Coming up on the show, America's relationship with AR-15-style guns and the political fight to ban them. Kate Linebaugh: Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. The AR-15 has become ubiquitous in America. You can buy all the parts to build one yourself at your home. You can get one for a couple hundred dollars. AR-15s are available almost everywhere and at very low prices. Zusha Elinson: The gun has become a symbol of Second Amendment rights. But its ability to kill many people quickly has made it highly contentious. It's used by target shooters and some hunters. The AR-15 is the bestselling rifle in America. So did the shooter at a music festival in Las Vegas and at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado and at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and at a FedEx in Indianapolis and at a high school in Parkland, Florida and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Two weeks ago, at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, a man motivated by racism killed 10 people. Kate Linebaugh: On Tuesday, at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, a man killed 21 people, including 19 children. This version may not be in its final form and may be updated. This transcript was prepared by a transcription service.
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