WASHINGTON — Assault rifle manufacturers pushed back against Democrats’ assertions that they are partially to blame for a spate of recent U.S. mass shootings that has prompted new legislation to ban AR-15-style weapons.
“This is an ultra-deadly weapon engineered to kill enemy soldiers on the battlefield,” House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney said during a hearing with officials from Daniel Defense and Sturm, Ruger & Co. “Yet, the gun industry has flooded our neighborhoods, our schools and even our churches and synagogues with these deadly weapons and has gotten rich doing it.”
The Wednesday hearing came as House Democrats delayed until August votes planned for this week on a bill banning the sale of assault weapons and companion legislation increasing funding for local police, according to a person familiar with the plans.
