Published February 24, 2023 (truthout.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with <\/em>a donation<\/em><\/a> of any size.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n AHouse Republican has introduced a bill that would make the AR-15, which has been used in many of the nation\u2019s most horrific mass shootings, the \u201cNational Gun of the United States,\u201d positioning it alongside official symbols like the bald eagle and Francis Scott Key\u2019s \u201cStar Spangled Banner\u201d in representing the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bill was unveiled this week by gun store owner<\/a> Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama. It has been cosponsored<\/a> by Representatives Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), Andrew Clyde (R-Georgia) and George Santos (R-New York). \u201cWe must send a message that we will meet every attack on any of our constitutional rights,\u201d Moore said<\/a> while unveiling the bill earlier this week, referring to the Second Amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AR-15 was used by the school shooter last year in Uvalde, Texas, to massacre 19 elementary school children and two teachers. It was used during the 2019 shooting in Parkland, Florida,\u00a0to murder<\/a>\u00a017 students and educators. Of the roughly 24 guns that the 2017 Las Vegas shooter brought to the deadliest mass shooting in modern history, in which he\u00a0massacred 60 people<\/a>\u00a0and injured hundreds,\u00a0over a dozen<\/a>\u00a0were AR-15s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The effects of AR-15 style guns are brutal. The AR-15 is a weapon built for war, designed and manufactured to shred<\/a> human flesh. During the Vietnam War<\/a>, the AR-15 left bodies of Vietnamese fighters looking as though they had been hit with an explosive, much like the bodies of the children<\/a> killed in Uvalde, some of whom first-hand witnesses said were only identifiable through the clothing left intact on their ripped-apart flesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bill is the latest Republican display of the party\u2019s worship of guns and its attempts to normalize the violence<\/a> the right is often associated with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gruesome statistic is emblematic of a growing gun violence problem in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By\u00a0Sharon Zhang<\/a>\u00a0,\u00a0TRUTHOUT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n February 14, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this month, during National Gun Violence Survivors Week, gun store owner and Georgia Republican Representative Clyde handed out<\/a> pins shaped like assault rifles to fellow Republicans like Representative Santos, who wore them proudly<\/a> as they conducted business in Congress that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Democrats reacted with disgust, Clyde responded with a smug message, mocking them for being \u201ctriggered\u201d over his idolatry of the gun. On the day that the Republicans wore the pins, there were at least two mass shootings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gun safety advocates condemned Representative Moore\u2019s bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter another week of heartbreaking mass shootings in America, extreme MAGA Republican [Rep. Barry Moore] introduced a bill to make AR-15s the \u2018National Gun\u2019 of the United States. It\u2019s a slap in the face for all families\/communities who have been devastated by mass shootings,\u201d wrote Newtown Action Alliance<\/a>, a gun safety group formed in response to the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the day that Moore filed his bill last Friday, a 52-year-old man in a rural community in Mississippi went on a shooting<\/a> spree, killing six people, including his former partner. Just days earlier, a gunman opened fire<\/a> at Michigan State University, killing three students and injuring five others. So far, in 2023, there have been at least 85 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive<\/a>, an average of about 1.5 mass shootings per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gun violence is on the rise. In recent years, firearms became<\/a> the number one cause of death for children in the U.S., the only country in which this is a widespread problem. In 2020, 4,357 children were killed by firearms in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year was also a record-breaking year for school shootings. According to an analysis<\/a> by The Washington Post<\/em>, there were 46 shootings at K-12 schools in 2022, breaking the previous record of 42 school shootings set in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re proud to publish real news 365 days of the year, completely free of charge to our readers. But producing high-quality, independent work is not cost-free \u2013 we rely heavily on your support.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you found the piece above useful, informative, or inspiring, please consider supporting Truthout<\/em> with a tax-deductible donation. A gift of any size makes a difference and helps keep this unique platform alive.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n about:blankThis article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)<\/a>, and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SHARON ZHANG<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout<\/em> covering politics, climate and labor. Before coming to Truthout<\/em>, Sharon had written stories for Pacific Standard<\/em>, The New Republic<\/em>, and more. She has a master\u2019s degree in environmental studies. She can be found on Twitter: @zhang_sharon<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AR-15-style weapons have been used in some of the deadliest shootings in modern U.S. history. By\u00a0Sharon Zhang\u00a0,\u00a0TRUTHOUT Published February 24, 2023 (truthout.org) Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with a donation of any size. AHouse Republican has introduced a bill that would make the AR-15, which has… Continue reading ![\"Rep.](\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2023_0224-andrew-clyde-1200x777.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n2022 Was Worst Year for School Shootings \u201cby Nearly Every Meaningful Measure\u201d<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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