Top guns USA
In total, about 20 states in the US do not require background checks for people who want to purchase a handgun or rifle.
“Today I signed into law legislation that protects the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Iowans while prohibiting the sale of firearms to criminals and other dangerous individuals,” Reynolds said in a statement.
Similar initiatives are being advocated by officials in Tennessee and Utah, and generally among conservative politicians at the local level, there are ideas of loosening civilian gun control.
Most states now require special training and background checks for those who want to buy and carry a gun, such as in a jacket or bag. The National Firearms Association says such requirements are ineffective and undermine Americans’ rights under the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.
It is worth noting that the Americans have 45% of all the world’s weapons owned by the civilian population. There are 120 rifles per 100 US residents. In addition, America is the country with the highest death rate due to firearms. In 2019, almost 40,000 people were killed by bullets.
After another mass shooting in a supermarket in Colorado and the murder of massage parlor workers in Atlanta, President Joe Biden spoke about the urgent need to strengthen control over the circulation of weapons in the United States, the country with the least restrictions on rifles.
At the same time, statistically, after high-profile cases of mass shooting, the population only buys weapons more actively, fearing that they will be banned.
In addition, the right to own weapons is enshrined in the Constitution. And even if a law to strengthen gun control succeeds in passing Congress, the Supreme Court may declare it unconstitutional. The lobby of the defenders of the rights of gun owners is also powerful.
Some law enforcement officers say that guns may not always protect if they are in inexperienced hands, and that pepper spray, for example, may be more effective.
Assault carbines and rifles
Semi-automatic versions of assault rifles and carbines are extremely popular and controversial weapons. They are distinguished from fully automatic versions only by their rate of fire and the volume of the magazine: since 1994, some states have banned the sale of semi-automatic rifles with magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds. However, on the market, if you wish, you can quite legally buy a high-capacity magazine that was released before the ban was introduced.
Assault rifles and carbines (rifles with a short barrel) have high lethality and range. Thus, they are quite suitable for hunting or shooting ranges, but not for self-defense – due to the low stopping power.
The undisputed leader in the assault weapons market in the United States, according to The New York Times, is the AR15 rifle. The rifle was developed by ArmaLite for the US military, but due to financial difficulties, the rights to the model were sold to Colt. She began to produce a model under the brand name M16. In 1963, Colt launched a semi-automatic version for the civilian market, badged AR15. Now the model is produced by several companies, including Bushmaster, ArmaLite, Colt and Rock River Arms. The AR15 is chambered for a standard 5.56mm NATO cartridge and has an effective range of 500-600 meters at a muzzle velocity of 975 meters per second.
The second most popular (and according to Bud’s Gun Shop, the first) among assault rifles on the American market is occupied by various semi-automatic copies of the Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle. For the American market, they are produced, in particular, in Romania and Hungary. Meanwhile, the AK has long won the title of the most popular machine gun and, perhaps, the most common small arms in the world. In total, AK and its copies have sold over 100 million units.