Who designed the AR-15?

The weapon used in this weekend’s shooting of five people, including an 8-year-old boy, in Cleveland in San Jacinto County was identified by authorities as an AR-15. While specific details about the manufacturer and model of the rifle aren’t yet known, it’s the same style of weapon used in mass shootings at schools in Uvalde last year and in Santa Fe in 2018. 

Who designed the AR-15?

The AR-15 was designed in the 1950s by a former Marine, Eugene Stoner, chief design engineer for the weapons company Armalite. The “AR” in AR-15 does not stand for “automatic rifle.” It refers to Armalite.

RELATED: Houston child gun deaths reach 60 in 2022, highest total in years

Are AR-15s machine guns?

No, an AR fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled. To fire a second round, the trigger needs to be squeezed a second time.

An automatic firearm, commonly known as a machine gun, by contrast, will continue shooting as long as the trigger is pulled or until it runs out of ammunition.

Federal and state laws strictly regulate or outright ban private ownership of automatic weapons. It is possible, however, to use a “bump device” to replicate automatic fire, but this sacrifices accuracy.

According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, “federal law permits the transfer of machine guns lawfully owned prior to May 19, 1986, if the transfer is approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. As a result, a substantial number of machine guns are still in circulation. As of 2020, the national registry of machine guns contained registrations for 726,951 machine guns.”

AR-15-style rifles hang on a wall at R-Guns store on Jan. 11, 2023, in Carpentersville, Illinois, a day after the state banned them. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

Armando L. Sanchez/TNS Is an AR-15 an “assault weapon”? 

There is no single definition for this phrase. In some states, a weapon is categorized as an assault weapon based on the number of rounds in the magazine or because of military-style features such as a pistol grip or the ability to mount a bayonet. 

What is the minimum age to buy an AR-15 in Texas?

AR-15-style weapons can be sold in Texas gun shops to anyone who is 18 or older and passes a background check. An AR-15-style weapon used by the gunman in the Uvalde tragedy was purchased in the immediate days after his 18th birthday. There is legislation pending in the Texas Legislature attempting to raise the minimum age for purchase. 

Magazines vs. clips: What’s the difference?

A clip is a strip of metal that holds cartridges together until they are inserted in a firearm. A magazine is a metal box, generally detachable, that holds cartridges and uses a spring to load them into the rifle.

This story was compiled from previous Chronicle reporting, including a story from Mike Glenn, a former Army officer who led troops in combat during the Gulf War.