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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
John Bowden

The rise of the AR-15: Why America is defending a ‘weapon of war’

America Uvalde Bernie Sanders Beto ORourke Bill Clinton Buffalo Daniel Defense Greg Abbott Texas Capitol Hill
AFP via Getty Images

Nearly 20 years after AR-15-style rifles returned to the market, the powerful weapons are back in the spotlight as the United States once again debates the role of assault-style guns in society.

There are now roughly 20 million of them in the US, according to a 2020 survey from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun industry trade group.

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