The father of the mass shooting suspect accused of killing four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, told investigators this week he had purchased the gun used in the killings as a holiday present for his son in December 2023, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.

Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student, is accused of killing two students and two teachers with an AR-style rifle in the Wednesday shooting. Nine more people were hospitalized.

One source told CNN the AR-15-style rifle was purchased at a local gun store as a Christmas present.

    • Maple Engineer
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      34 months ago

      Not in Canada. It’s actually possible to hunt using rifles that aren’t modled on weapons of war.

      • @SendMePhotos@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I mean, a 10/22 ruger isn’t a huge gun and can be a Woodstock or modeled as an AR15 but it is the same gun with the same power, same magazine size, same trigger, fire distance, velocity, etc.

        I guess what I’m saying is that a rifle is a rifle. An AR15 does not shoot faster or more than a different gun.

        • Maple Engineer
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          34 months ago

          The gun nuts always argue that they should be able to have the scary guns because they are no more deadly than the hunting guns. If they’re functionally the same buy the hunting gun unless you’re buying it for how it looks. If you’re buying it for how it looks you shouldn’t have guns.

          • @SendMePhotos@lemmy.world
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            44 months ago

            People are allowed to customize the look of the guns. I haven’t ever heard of any gun or people being shamed for buying guns because of how they like them to look.

            In another perspective, making cars faster, boosting, lifting/lowering, and modifying them make them deadlier, too. They do affect the performance though whereas the look of a gun does not.

            I think the most they can do is modify the magazine count, trigger pressure, and maybe bump fire? But bump fire reduces accuracy.

            I’m a gun owner but not really into spending money on how they look. Most of my collection is hand-me-downs or family heirlooms. Won’t knock someone for getting what they find aesthetically pleasing.

            • Maple Engineer
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              44 months ago

              I’ve owned guns for almost 40 years. I fully support the restrictions on gun ownership in Canada. If you’re buying a gun for how it looks, for how it makes you feel, or for how you think it makes other people feel you shouldn’t own guns. Guns aren’t jewelry. They aren’t a fashion statement. They’re a tool. The argument that they are functionally the same falls flat on its face when you challenge them to use the functionally equivalent walnut stocked field gun because they aren’t buying it for how it works, they’re buying it for how it looks.