Following a high-profile crime involving semiautomatic rifles or lively political debate about firearms and the Second Amendment, someone typically will ask, “Does anyone really need an AR-15?”
Sometimes, this is simply a rhetorical question. But many Americans are genuinely curious about this highly popular—and seemingly infamous—firearm that has become the object of affection or attack (depending on the audience). One writer has described the AR-15 as “a jewel of the gun industry, the country’s most popular rifle, irreversibly lodged into American culture.”[1] Others say the AR-15 is a “weapon of war” that is too dangerous for ordinary citizens to own.
Why would anyone choose to own an AR-15? This essay will provide some answers grounded in both data and experience, but first some history and terminology.
Origins
The “AR” stands for “ArmaLite,” the company that originally produced the rifle. The AR-15 the 15th model invented by Eugene Stoner and modified for market by Jim Sullivan. The AR-15 was an improved version of the AR-10 of 1956. In 1959, ArmaLite sold the AR-15 patents to Colt’s Manufacturing Company.[2]
The initial AR-15 design was converted into the U.S. military’s M16 and M4, both of which are select- or selective-fire rifles. Selective fire means that the firearm is capable of firing in semiautomatic mode (one round fired with each trigger press) and automatic mode (continuous fire while the trigger is pressed). The modes can be changed using a selector switch.
In 1965 Colt’s introduced a civilian semiautomatic version and called it the “AR-15.” While the civilian AR-15 looks like a fully automatic military M16 rifle or M4 carbine, it is not a machine gun nor does it fire as rapidly as a machine gun. It has a semiautomatic-only firing mechanism like most modern handguns.
The term “AR-15” typically is used as shorthand for a wide variety of AR-style variants. The most common fire .223 inch or 5.56 mm rounds (the latter is the NATO designation). But AR-style rifles also can be chambered for .22 LR, .300 Blackout, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win., and other calibers (AR-style rifles chambered for larger rounds sometimes are referred to as AR-10s).
Popularity
Millions of Americans own the AR-15 and similar semiautomatic rifles. A 2022 Washington Post survey of a random sample of 2,104 gun owners asked whether they owned AR-style rifles.[3] Twenty percent answered yes, indicating that “about 16 million Americans own an AR-15.”[4] In 2021, Georgetown Professor William English conducted a survey of 16,708 gun owners.[5] Thirty percent indicated that they had owned an AR-15 or similarly-styled rifle, which translates into about 24.6 million people.[6] Based on firearm production data, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) estimates that 28,144,000 AR- and AK-style rifles were produced for the American market from 1990 to 2021.[7]
Why Own an AR-15?
The Washington Post survey asked why persons owned AR-15s. Respondents answered protecting self, family, and property (91%, with 65% saying this was a major reason), target shooting (90%), in case law and order breaks down (74%), and hunting (48%).[8] To the same question, English survey respondents answered target shooting (66%), home defense (61.9%), hunting (50.5%), and defense outside the home (34.6%).[9] These surveys, however, don’t provide any explanations for the respondent answers.
Let’s start with the gun itself. Some have called it the “Lego” of guns. Jon Stokes correctly notes that the AR-15 is “so customizable and adaptable, it’s practically a gadget.”[10] He explains that “[w]ith only a few simple tools and no gunsmithing expertise, an AR-15 can be heavily modified, or even assembled from scratch, from widely available parts to suit the fancy and fantasy of each individual user.”[11] I own several AR-style rifles with different barrel lengths and calibers to suit my needs. I’ve added accessories like scopes, red-dot sights, flashlights, and thermal clip-ons. I’ve changed grip styles and stocks so the gun would better fit my body. I’ve upgraded triggers, safeties, charging handles, muzzle devices, and buffer tubes/springs to enhance my shooting experience. I’ve even built out complete lowers (trigger group, magazine release, safety, grip, etc) with a few tools, readily available parts kits, and YouTube videos. While I’ve upgraded parts of handguns and shotguns, no other firearm is more readily adaptable to my specific preferences and uses.
Self-defense
Perhaps the best reason for owning an AR-15 is that it is well-suited for self-defense. As I have explained elsewhere, it is particularly effective as a primary home defense weapon.[12] The AR-15 is comparatively easy to shoot. Its lighter weight, shorter barrel, and ergonomic stock and grip make it easier to handle than most long guns. Its reduced recoil makes it more manageable than shotguns or hunting rifles and helps increase the accuracy of follow-up shots. Properly-selected AR-15 ammunition has better terminal effectiveness than handgun rounds. The AR-15’s standard 30-round magazine is larger than standard magazines for semiautomatic handguns (15-18 rounds), revolvers (5-6 rounds), and shotguns (3-6 rounds). This ensures the firearm user is prepared for multiple defensive scenarios without carrying additional ammunition and pausing to reload, such as when facing multiple attackers in a home invasion. By contrast, handguns require a higher degree of skill to shoot accurately and hold half as many (or fewer) rounds. Shotguns have much greater recoil, making them more difficult to control, and typically hold an even smaller number of rounds, forcing the individual to reload under the life-or-death conditions of home defense.
The AR-15 also is safer for home defense than other firearms. With the right ammunition, its bullets will penetrate less in walls or building materials than handguns or shotguns.[13] Lights and lasers easily can be attached to the AR-15’s handguard for better identification and targeting at in-house distances in low light conditions under stress. In short, the AR-15 is a relatively lightweight rifle that fires effective ammunition in a package with manageable recoil, good ergonomics, easy mounting of optics and lights, and a shorter learning curve. These features make it easier for most persons to hit human-sized targets at in-home distances in low-light conditions under stress.
Those who support so-called “assault weapon” bans say that semiautomatic AR-style rifles are too dangerous to be used in a home defense situation. The Fourth Circuit, for example, claimed in Bianchi v. Brown that AR-15s are “excessively dangerous weapons ill-suited and disproportionate” for self-defense.[14] If that is true, then why are AR-15s typically used by law enforcement officers for close-quarters operations inside buildings? FRC Senior Fellow David Kopel and I have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in Snope v. Brown, which supports the petition for certiorari to review the Fourth Circuit’s decision in Bianchi. We explain why law enforcement officers choose AR-type rifles because those rifles are often best for defense of self and others.
Other Lawful Uses
There are other reasons for owning AR-15 rifles. I use my AR-15 rifles for competitive shooting and target practice. They are fun to shoot—much more so than some of my other long guns that have much greater recoil or require more expensive ammunition. Many hunt with their AR-15s, using them for varmints, hogs, coyotes, and even deer (the AR-15 is too underpowered for large game). The fact that the AR-15 can be used for a variety of lawful purposes only enhances its appeal.
For Further Reading
Modern semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15 and its variants have been wrongly characterized as being too dangerous for civilians to own. This is a common refrain among advocates of banning such rifles as well as judges upholding such bans. Their claims are simply false.
For further reading disproving these claims, see not only the amicus brief FRC Senior Fellow David Kopel and I filed in Snope, but also David Kopel, AR Rifle Ammunition is Less Powerful Than Most Other Rifle Ammunition, The Volokh Conspiracy (Apr. 11, 2023) (co-authored with Gregory Wallace); David Kopel, How Powerful are AR Rifles?, The Volokh Conspiracy (Feb. 27, 2023) (same); E. Gregory Wallace, “Assault Weapon” Lethality, 88 Tenn. L. Rev. 1 (2020); and E. Gregory Wallace, “Assault Weapon” Myths, 43 So. Ill. L. Rev. 193 (2018).
For an article addressing whether so-called “assault weapon” bans are effective, see E. Gregory Wallace & George A. Mocsary, “Fact Check: Mass Shootings Actually Increased During the Federal ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban,” The Federalist (Jan. 31, 2023).
[1] Jon Schuppe, America’s rifle: Why so many people love the AR-15, NBC News (Dec. 27, 2017), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/america-s-rifle-why-so-many-people-love-ar-15-n831171?cid=public-rss_20171228.
[2] David B. Kopel, How Powerful Are AR Rifles? Reason (Feb. 27, 2023) (co-authored with Gregory Wallace), https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/27/how-powerful-are-ar-rifles.
[3] Washington Post-Ipsos Poll, https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2023-03/Washington%20Post-Ipsos%20AR-15%20Polling.pdf.
[4] Emily Guskin, et al., Why Do Americans Own AR-15s?, Wash. Post. (Mar. 27, 2023), https://wapo.st/3IDZG5I.
[5] William English, 2021 National Firearms Survey: Updated Analysis Including Types of Firearms Owned at 1, Georgetown McDonough School of Business Rsch. Paper No. 4109494 (May 13, 2022), https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4109494.
[6] Id. at 33.
[7] National Shooting Sports Foundation, Firearm Production in the United States with Firearm Import and Export Data, at 7 (2023), https://michellawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-09-06-Exhibit-4-NSSF-Firearm-Production-Article-ISO-State-Defendants-Mtn-to-Preclude-Consideration-of-William-English-NSSF-Surveys.pdf.
[8] Washington Post Poll, supra note 3, at 1-2.
[9] English Survey, supra note 5, at 33.
[10] Jon Stokes, The AR-15 Is More Than a Gun. It’s a Gadget, Wired (Feb. 25, 2013), https://www.wired.com/2013/02/ar-15/.
[11] Id.
[12] E. Gregory Wallace, “Assault Weapon” Lethality, 88 Tenn. L. Rev. 1, 62-65 (2020).
[13] Id. at 36-39.
[14] Bianchi v. Brown, 111 F.4th 438, 452 (4th Cir. 2024) (en banc), petition for cert. filed sub nom., Snope v. Brown, No. 24-203 (Aug. 23, 2024).