LONGVIEW, Texas — The investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is in it's early stages but authorities say the weapon used in the attack was an AR-15.
Cameron Tolleson, the marketing manager at Winchester’s Sportsman Outfitters in Longview, said the range of accuracy of this type of weapon depends on the skill of the shooter as well as other factors including training and accessories.
“You're not going to be accurate past 50 yards especially if you aren't trained as a shooter whereas you can get into something with an optic and you’ll be a little more accurate to about 150 to 200 yards, so this one is equipment with a red dot whereas this has the flip up open sights,” Tolleson said.
According to the Washington Post, about one in 20 adults in the country owns an AR-15 but not everyone is a fan.
“I don't own an AR-15, nothing against them, it's just not anything I care for. An AR-15 can be used for anything from target shooting to hunting, it's not just a military weapon,” Jerry Wise said.
The AR-15 is a semi-automatic firearm. This means when a shooter pulls the trigger to fire, the next round is automatically loaded into the chamber.
“It’s not designed to be a lethal round. It was made to injure, not typically something a sniper in the military would use by any means,” Tolleson said.
Tolleson also points out the AR in the name of the weapon doesn’t stand for assault rifle, or automatic rifle. It stands for armorlite - the company that developed the rifle in the 1950s. It was considered revolutionary for its light weight.
“So, whenever the Army designed these rifles to go out and shoot, this is going to be a lot easier to carry around the weight versus a whole magazine of these,” Tolleson said.
Gun owners say just like any weapon, safety is key.
"Gun safety is important, and it starts at home. You should train your children in the use of firearms,” Wise said.
Tolleson reiterated that safety is of the utmost importance when handling a firearm.
"For those that do own any gun but especially AR-15 rifles, just make sure that you always keep your guns unloaded when you’re not in use, keep it on safety, make sure you never point at anyone. And that way you always treat any guns loaded or unloaded like it is able to harm someone and keep a trigger lock on it,” Tolleson said.