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Was the Maine mass shooting the first in the US in 2023 done with an AR-15-style rifle?

By Tom Kertscher
NO

Five mass shootings with AR-15-style rifles preceded the Maine mass shooting in 2023.

According to Mother Jones’ database, AR-15-style rifles were used in these mass shootings:

Dollar Store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Aug. 26 (three fatalities).

Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood on July 3 (five fatalities).

Farmington, New Mexico, neighborhood on May 15 (three fatalities).

Shopping mall in Allen, Texas, on May 6 (eight fatalities).

Louisville, Kentucky, bank on April 10 (five fatalities).

The shooting in Lewiston, Maine, occurred Oct. 25. A gunman using a semiautomatic assault rifle-style weapon killed 18 people and wounded 13.

A semiautomatic rifle requires a separate pull of the trigger to fire each cartridge. The AR-15 is a semiautomatic rifle intended for military use.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, reversed his position and said after the Maine shootings he supports a ban on assault-style rifles. President Joe Biden repeated his call for legislation banning such weapons.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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