The Pistol That Looks Like A Rifle: The Dayton Shooter's Gun
The gun that was used on Saturday to kill nine people and wound more than a dozen others in Dayton, Ohio, inflicted that damage in just 30 seconds. But while the weapon might look like a rifle to many people, under federal law, it's technically classified as a pistol.
The AR-15-style pistol used in Dayton is capable of pouring a stream of high-velocity bullets, thanks to its huge ammunition magazine. Before it was turned against civilians, the gun was built from easily obtained components — leading to questions about America's gun laws and a gray area that exists between traditional categories such as rifles and pistols.
"You're talking, really, a weapon of mass destruction that you're giving over the counter to anybody," said Joseph Vince, a former special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who now works as a gun crime consultant.
Under U.S. law, the
