# Is there a law against releasing the model of guns used in a mass shooting? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2023, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357 "2023-10-31T09:49:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/21 "2023-11-01T16:37:37Z")
Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/22 "2023-11-01T16:47:30Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > The AR-15 isn’t a model. It’s a type. But more importantly for legislatures around the country is it an “Assault Rifle”? And if so, is this an assault rifle: [![](https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/biyjc0gh/top_selling_rifles_1022.jpg?width=570&height=111) ](https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/biyjc0gh/top_selling_rifles_1022.jpg?width=570&height=111) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/23 "2023-11-01T17:21:36Z")
How super cheap are AR-15 type guns compared to HK416, F2000, X95, and other more modern rifles? ---
**Author:** ![ThisOneGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@ThisOneGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisOneGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/24 "2023-11-01T17:26:42Z")
Because of the huge variety mentioned above AR-15s range from moderately cheap to extremely expensive. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/25 "2023-11-01T18:19:12Z")
That would completely depend on how it’s defined. I mean, it’s semi-auto, it’s magazine fed, and it can take 30+ round magazines. But it’s also chambered in 22 long rifle, it’s got a wood stock, no pistol grip, and old-school iron sights. It’s awfully close. But then so is a SKS, and so are all the various semi-automatic hunting rifles out there. That’s just the thing- what makes an assault rifle? Semi auto operation? Why wouldn’t a Benelli R1 not qualify if a 10/22 does? What makes an AR-15 type rifle qualify, but not those two? It’s not well defined as a term, and that’s part of what makes it so unhelpful as something descriptive. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/26 "2023-11-01T19:59:00Z")
You can get an AR-15 for $500 but those are the dirt cheap lowest part quality guns. The “regular” lines made by reputable brands like Smith and Wesson run from $800 to $1,100, which is still very cheap compared to X95s, HK-416s and such which run up to $2,000. Though at the $800 price point there are definitely cheaper “assault weapons” since you can get all sorts of pistol caliber carbines (basically assault rifle looking guns but chambered in pistol cartridges) for $300 to $500. In terms of full rifles? Surplus SKS rifles which fire the AK-47 round can be had for about $400 to $500 and while they don’t have magazines by default, can be fairly easily legally modded to use magazines with parts you buy online. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/27 "2023-11-01T20:36:11Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > The third one is chambered in .30-06. This is a proper rifle round. It is a popular deer hunting round because it is easily powerful enough to take down a deer in one shot. That would be an AR-10 then. Lots of the same functional and cosmetic aspects, but not interchangeable. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/28 "2023-11-01T20:57:26Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Rifles are not broken down by type. Most are probably semi-automatic rifles, and most of those are most likely AR-15 types, but I don’t have actual statistics. > > Regardless, rifles in total were only about 1/4th of all weapons used. Yeah, it all depends on how and who defines a “mass shooting”. In some of the most common definitions-the FBI defines a “mass shooting” as any incident in which at least four people are murdered with a gun. > **[What is considered a mass shooting? | USAFacts](https://usafacts.org/articles/what-is-considered-a-mass-shooting/)** > > The FBI defines an active shooter as an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area, but the definition of mass shooting is less clear. ## What is a mass shooting? _The term “mass shooting” can refer to firearm-related events with various outcomes depending on which definition is being used._… _News reports on the number of mass shootings in the US are likely to reference the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that [defines a mass shooting](https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/explainer) as an event with a “minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident.”_ Note the difference. In the most common definition- the 2nd- by far the most common mass shooting is a drug gang shooting, most often with a handgun. In the type that make the national news, the most common often include a semi-auto rifle, such as the AR15. (sometimes a AK47 clone), often with a handgun. So, yeah, it is understandable why people think its the AR15, since that is what the media shows. > [@md-2000](#): > > He said “how many Americans really need a gun named the ‘Street Sweeper’? The Armsel Striker aka “street sweeper” shotgun, is mostly illegal in the USA; > **[Armsel Striker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armsel_Striker)** > > The Armsel Striker, also known as the Sentinel Arms Co Striker-12, Protecta, Protecta Bulldog and SWD Street Sweeper is a 12-gauge shotgun with a revolving cylinder that was designed for riot control and combat. > The Armsel Striker was designed by Hilton R. Walker, a Zimbabwean (formerly Rhodesian) citizen, in 1981. Walker subsequently emigrated to South Africa, bringing with him the design for the Striker shotgun. His shotgun became a success and was exported to various parts of the world, despi... > [@DPRK](#): > > How super cheap are AR-15 type guns… From $500+ to $2000. Not very cheap. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/29 "2023-11-01T21:37:06Z")
Close in terms of bullet diameter, but the NATO 7.62X51mm (e.g., AR-10) is most directly related to the .308 Winchester round, not the 30-06. If that’s truly a 30-06 receiver (and it might be, judging from the length of the magazine well), it’s an odd duck. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/30 "2023-11-01T23:07:32Z")
I mean generally speaking the distinction is in cartridge length, things that are .308-ish length go with a AR-10. .30-06 is even longer and a rather rare breed indeed. This appears to be a Noreen BN36X3 from back in 2012, with a goal to “recreate the M1 Garand”. With no “ping” and marginal advantage over .308, I don’t understand it. Edit: or I misread, prototyped around 2012, released in 2019 ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/31 "2023-11-02T16:00:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The Armsel Striker aka “street sweeper” shotgun, is mostly illegal in the USA; OK. That’s what he said, though- would it have been illegal about 1995? I’m not up on my firearms. Anyone who wants one in Canada has to go through a criminal/background check, take a hunter safety course, get their FAC certificate, and ensure that the item is stored when not in use in an approved locked cabinet. You also need that FAC to buy ammunition, or to buy a gun privately. People who really want a gun can do that, but it’s not something done in a momentary impulse or panic. In the goode olde days my dad had his 303(?) rifle from WWII home guard that followed him from UK to Canada, but somewhere along the way he probably felt it was a bother and somehow disposed of it. So the news reports out of Uvalde mentioned that the rounds used were so powerful that they made a huge mess of the bodies (especially children) to the point where DNA was necessary to identify the individual bodies. I’m assuming that means it was not .22 ammunition? What would it be? That was blamed on an AR15 in the press. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/32 "2023-11-02T17:04:53Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > So the news reports out of Uvalde mentioned that the rounds used were so powerful that they made a huge mess of the bodies (especially children) to the point where DNA was necessary to identify the individual bodies I don’t remember this and find it unlikely. The standard AR platform fires 5.56 mm (equivalent to .223 caliber) so not much different than .22LR in diameter. It’s much higher velocity but it’s not going to destroy a body beyond recognition. The most grievous outcome I can imagine is (spoilering because description of bodily damage) a correctly aligned shot at the back of a victim’s head may result in an exit wound which destroys part of the victim’s face But I’m not sure that would be enough damage to reduce identification to DNA analysis. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/33 "2023-11-02T18:03:12Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > > [@md-2000](#): > > > > So the news reports out of Uvalde mentioned that the rounds used were so powerful that they made a huge mess of the bodies (especially children) to the point where DNA was necessary to identify the individual bodies > > I don’t remember this and find it unlikely. The standard AR platform fires 5.56 mm (equivalent to .223 caliber) so not much different than .22LR in diameter. It’s much higher velocity but it’s not going to destroy a body beyond recognition. The most grievous outcome I can imagine is (spoilering because description of bodily damage) > > a correctly aligned shot at the back of a victim’s head may result in an exit wound which destroys part of the victim’s face > > But I’m not sure that would be enough damage to reduce identification to DNA analysis. Unfortunately I have seen more than my fair share of gunshot victims. I’m including suicides and accidents. It’s not like I lived in Cabot Cove, there wasn’t a murder a week. Never once saw someone so damaged you would need DNA to ID them. It may be they did not want to put families through the ordeal of visually identifying a loved one with grusome injuries. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357/34 "2023-11-02T18:07:23Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > OK. That’s what he said, though- would it have been illegal about 1995? Close- 1994 was when it was “banned”. > [@md-2000](#): > > Anyone who wants one in Canada has to go through a criminal/background check, take a hunter safety course, get their FAC certificate, and ensure that the item is stored when not in use in an approved locked cabinet. Y My Sask relatives (and this was a while ago) were farmers, and they had shotguns, deer rifles, and a .22 kept unlocked for foxes, etc attacking the chickens. > [@md-2000](#): > > So the news reports out of Uvalde mentioned that the rounds used were so powerful that they made a huge mess of the bodies (especially children) to the point where DNA was necessary to identify the individual bodies. AR 15, with ,223, and the rounds are not that powerful. Hell, even a .50 sniper round isnt _that_ powerful. Now a shotgun to the face will make the victim unrecognizable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-law-against-releasing-the-model-of-guns-used-in-a-mass-shooting/992357.md?page=1)