The Etymology of the “AR15” Firearm and the Civilian AR15 vs the Military AR15

Contrary to popular belief, the civilian version of the AR15 firearm is not an assault rifle, nor does the “AR” portion of the name stand to represent the term “assault rifle”. The AR15 is named as such because it was the 15th design (e.g. the “15” portion of “AR15”) of a firearm originally manufactured by ArmaLite (e.g. the “AR” portion of “AR15”), an American firearms manufacturer which has manufactured and sold the AR15 since 1959, with the firearm first being developed in 1956. The civilian version of the AR15 firearm became available to consumers from 1963 onward. The primary difference between the militarized model and the civilian model, being the function to enable automatic fire. Once the function of automatic fire is enabled, the AR15 is considered a militarized assault rifle

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