Where AR-15-style rifles fit in America's tragic history of mass shootings

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the gunman responsible for the Uvalde shooting Tuesday used an AR-15-style assault rifle. Here, three variations of the AR-15 are displayed at the California Department of Justice in Sacramento, Calif., in 2012. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

The weapon used to carry out the mass shooting in Uvalde on Tuesday is one all too familiar to Americans and lawmakers who have witnessed mass shootings occur over the past decade.

The Uvalde gunman used an AR-15-style rifle, a popular range of semiautomatic weapons that was purchased from a sporting goods store, to carry out the attack, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and law enforcement officials said Wednesday.