AR-15 National Gun Act would declare the firearm America’s “national gun”
But it would still be a federal crime to use the national gun to kill a bald eagle, the national bird.
Context
The Star-Spangled Banner has been the national anthem since 1931. “In God we trust” has been the national motto since 1956. The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa has been the national march since 1987.
GovTrack Insider has previously covered bills to create other official national symbols, proposals which have often become more partisan in recent years. A 2016 Republican bill would have designated English as the national language. A Democratic 2021 bill would have designated Lift Every Voice and Sing, nicknamed “the black national anthem,” as the national hymn. Neither passed.
Now comes a bill arguably more controversial than either of those.
What the bill does
The AR-15 National Gun Act would do just what its title states: designate the AR-15 as the U.S. “national gun.”
It was introduced in the House on February 17 by Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL2), as H.R. 1095.
Nine states have an official state gun, all of which have been adopted just in the past dozen years: Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. However, none of those official state guns are the AR-15.
GovTrack Insider was unable to locate any other country with a national gun. However, Mozambique’s national flag adopted in 1983 depicts an AK-47, the only national flag depicting a modern weapon.
What supporters say
Supporters argue that the AR-15 may already be America’s national gun unofficially, as the country’s highest-selling rifle, so an official designation makes sense.
“For nearly two decades, unconstitutional and un-American anti-gun groups have specifically targeted the AR-15, despite it being a cornerstone of American culture for over 60 years,” Rep. Moore said in a speech at the Alabama store Family Firearms. “If a specific firearm is synonymous with the term Americana, then it would be the AR-15.”
“Why is [the potential national gun designation] important? Because the Second Amendment is as American a right as freedom of speech or religion, or even the press,” Rep. Moore continued. “We need to send a message to the American public that weakening the Second Amendment will likely increase that those rights will be taken away.”
What opponents say
Opponents counter that the AR-15, or similar variants, have been repeatedly used in mass shootings. That includes the deadliest one in American history, the 2017 Nevada country music concert which killed 58, plus a Connecticut elementary school in 2012, a Florida high school in 2018, and a Florida nightclub in 2016.
“Assault weapons are designed for a single purpose: to kill as many people as possible in as short an amount of time as possible,” Assault Weapons Ban lead sponsor Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI1) said in a press release. “That’s why they are the weapon of choice for mass shooters and domestic terrorists.”
“They are weapons of war and do not belong in our communities,” Rep. Cicilline continued. “Banning these weapons will make our cities and towns safer and more secure and help to reduce gun deaths.”
Odds of passage
The AR-15 National Gun Act has attracted four cosponsors, all Republicans. It awaits a potential vote in the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Odds of passage are low in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
In July 2022, the House, then under Democratic control, passed the Assault Weapons Ban by 217–213. The bill would have specifically banned a number of firearm models including the AR-15. House Democrats overwhelmingly supported it by 215–5, while House Republicans almost completely opposed it by 2–208.
It never received a Senate vote.
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This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.
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