Colt AR-15

"The shooting began around 9:50 a.m. Bowers was armed with several guns including an AR-15, records show. Bowers killed 11 people then went to the third floor of the building. Law enforcement responded and exchanged gunfire with Bowers. "Theyre committing genocide to my people," Bowers allegedly told one law enforcement officer. "I just want to kill Jews." Authorities say he continued to make comments about genocide. Bowers eventually surrendered to police. Investigators located three .357 caliber Glock handguns and a Colt AR-15, records show."

"On September 25, 1982 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Banks shot fourteen people with a Colt AR 15 semi-automatic rifle, killing thirteen and wounding one. The AR-15 is a civilian version of the militarys M-16 rifle. Banks began his deadly spree at his own home, where he shot and killed three of his girlfriends and their five children, four of whom Banks himself had fathered. Banks then left his home clad in what appeared to be military fatigues. On the street outside he happened upon a group of bystanders who had heard the shots. Banks shot and killed one, a young man who had recognized him, and also shot and seriously wounded another. Banks then carjacked a car and drove to a trailer park, where he shot another girlfriend, their son, a second boy, and the girlfriends mother. Two other boys survived the attack. After a stand-off at a friends house, Banks surrendered."

"Light, precise and with little recoil, Colt Armalite Rifle-15 Sporter hit the market in the early 1960s as the first civilian version of the military’s M16 rifle. What set it apart was, much like its military counterpart, the inventor Eugene Stoner’s patented gas operating system, which allowed for rapid fire and reloading. The weapon could easily handle a 20-round magazine, was easy to disassemble and was marketed, in one of Colt’s early advertisements, to hunters, campers and collectors. Billed as “America’s rifle” by the National Rifle Association, the AR-15 is less a specific weapon than a family of them. When Mr. Stoner’s rights to the gas system expired in 1977, it opened the way for dozens of weapons manufacturers to produce their own models, using the same technology. The term AR-15 has become a catchall that includes a variety of weapons that look and operate similarly, including the Remington Bushmaster, the Smith & Wesson M&P15 and the Springfield Armory Saint. Over the ensuing decades, as the American military modified the M16’s exterior to allow for accessories such as sights, grips and flashlights, the civilian market followed. Today, gun enthusiasts consider the AR-15 the Erector Set of firearms."

"The suspect in a grisly shooting that left 11 people dead at a Pittsburgh synagogue was charged Wednesday in a 44-count indictment accusing him of federal hate crimes. Officials say Robert Bowers, 46, of Baldwin, Pa., drove to Tree of Life synagogue armed with Glock .357 handguns and a Colt AR-15 rifle. The indictment charges that while inside the synagogue, Bowers made statements indicating his desire to “kill Jews.”"

"If the cutoff point is set at 10 or more victims killed in a single incident, the cases become rare and the majority of victims are strangers, as in Charles Whitmans Texas Tower killings (two family members and 14 strangers killed, 30 others wounded) and James Hubertys MacDonalds massacre (21 strangers dead, 19 wounded). Indeed, by this definition the only mass murder in American history in which most of the victims were family members was the killing of 13 people in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, by former prison guard George Banks. Banks had had children by four women and lived with three of them and their children on a rotating basis, making it possible for him to kill enough family members to set such a record.... In the less migratory years of American history, the houses where such things occurred sometimes came to be regarded as haunted-if they were not burned to the ground, as was George Banks house.... Unbeknownst to those who evaluated him, Banks had long been fascinated by weapons and survivalist themes. In his home was a collection of Soldier of Fortune, Commando and Gung Ho!, three magazines devoted to the imagery of warfare and glamorous portrayals of military and paramilitary weapons. He had purchased equipment and materials of the kind advertised and promoted in these magazines, including a Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, the civilian equivalent of the M-16 and a manual offering instruction on the crafting of silencers in home workshops."

"All the guns used in Saturdays massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue had been purchased legally, a federal official said Wednesday. Authorities allege Robert Bowers opened fire at the Tree of Life synagogue as three congregations gathered to celebrate Shabbat services Saturday morning, killing 11 people and injuring six others in whats believed to the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history. Bowers used a Colt AR-15 rifle and three Glock .357 handguns during the attack, police have said."

"Prosecutors say Bowers entered the Tree of Life Synagogue during services on Saturday morning with multiple firearms, including Glock .357-caliber handguns and a Colt AR-15 rifle, and made statements expressing his desire to “kill Jews” as he stalked his victims."

"Back in the 1980s, I wrote a long detailed article about the design concepts that the AR-15’s creator, Eugene Stoner, put into this weapon, and the ways it changed before going into service as the military’s M-16."

"The Pittsburgh City Council voted Tuesday to restrict assault weapons months after 11 people were shot and killed with an assault rifle and other guns at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue. The three bills restrict the use of assault weapons, extended magazines and armor piercing ammunition in public places within the city of Pittsburgh, and allow courts to temporarily take guns away from individuals deemed to pose a significant danger to themselves or others. "Today Pittsburgh took a stand to say enough is enough," city councilman Corey OConnor told CNN. He said this "shows that the city of Pittsburgh is willing to fight to protect its residents." The legislation comes months after the deadliest assault on the Jewish community in US history, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Eleven people were killed and 6 were injured when a man opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October. Police said the shooter used a Colt AR-15 rifle and three Glock .357 handguns during the attack."

"When did the AR-15 first become available to civilians?... Colt sent a pilot model rifle (serial no. GX4968) to the BATF for civilian sale approval on Oct. 23, 1963. It was approved on Dec. 10, 1963, and sales of the "Model R6000 Colt AR-15 SP1 Sporter Rifle" began on Jan 2, 1964. The M16 wasnt issued to infantry units until 1965 (as the XM16E1), wasnt standardized as the M16A1 until 1967, and didnt officially replace the M14 until 1969. Colt had been selling semi-automatic AR-15s to civilians for 5 years by the time the M16A1 replaced the M14."

"Authorities have named the 11 people killed Saturday when a man armed with three pistols and a semiautomatic assault-style rifle attacked a synagogue in Pittsburgh — the deadliest attack on Jews in the history of the United States. The dead include a 97-year-old woman, a husband and wife, and two brothers — all of whom were at services inside the Tree of Life synagogue when Robert Bowers allegedly burst in through an open door, screaming anti-Semitic slurs and shooting. The 46-year-old Pittsburgh resident is also accused of wounding six other people, including three police officers shot during a firefight, and faces a raft of assault, homicide and hate crime charges.... He allegedly walked through an unlocked door at about 9:45 a.m., armed with a Colt AR-15 rifle and three Glock .357 pistols — all four of which fired, police said, as he moved around the large building, screaming about Jews."

"In the early morning hours of September 25, 1982, George Emil Banks, appellant, went on a rampage in and near the City of Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County. In the space of about one hour, appellant shot fourteen people with a Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, killing thirteen and wounding one. All but one of the dead were the women and children who made up appellants extended family; the other two victims were strangers (one survived) who were in the wrong place at the wrong time."