AR-15s and other assault rifles should be illegal. Obviously.

[Eko]

57. No, the ar15 was not fully automatic.

"As a result, the Army was forced to reconsider a 1957 request by General Willard G. Wyman, commander of the U.S. Continental Army Command (CONARC) to develop a .223 caliber (5.56 mm) select-fire rifle weighing 6 lb (2.7 kg) when loaded with a 20-round magazine.[21] The 5.56mm round had to penetrate a standard U.S. helmet at 500 yards (460 meters) and retain a velocity in excess of the speed of sound, while matching or exceeding the wounding ability of the .30 Carbine cartridge.[40]

This request ultimately resulted in the development of a scaled-down version of the Armalite AR-10, called AR-15 rifle.[8][9][41] However, despite overwhelming evidence that the AR-15 could bring more firepower to bear than the M14, the Army opposed the adoption of the new rifle.[8][35] In January 1963, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara concluded that the AR-15 was the superior weapon system and ordered a halt to M14 production.[8][35] At the time, the AR-15 was the only rifle available that could fulfill the requirement of a universal infantry weapon for issue to all services."

After modifications (most notably, the charging handle was re-located from under the carrying handle like AR-10 to the rear of the receiver),[9] the new redesigned rifle was subsequently adopted as the M16 Rifle and went into production in March 1964.[8][1] &quot The M16) was much lighter compared to the M14 it replaced, ultimately allowing Soldiers to carry more ammunition. The air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle was made of steel, aluminum alloy and composite plastics, truly cutting-edge for the time. Designed with full and semi-automatic capabilities, the weapon initially did not respond well to wet and dirty conditions, sometimes even jamming in combat. After a few minor modifications, the weapon gained in popularity among troops on the battlefield."[35][42][43]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M16_rifle