Narrator: It's easy to spot guns
at protests across the country.
But what kinds of guns are people bringing
to marches and rallies, and how can you tell?
Obviously, we're being very flashy right now,
but we don't walk around like this every day.
Narrator: We looked through our footage
from an annual gun rights rally called Lobby Day,
dug into clips from a handful of political protests
over the past year, and spoke with gun experts
to figure out which weapons are most popular,
most unusual, and most controversial.
We found that when it comes to firearms in America,
almost everything is a dividing issue.
For example, the AR-15.
It came up again
and again in our videos.
We saw it in the hands of groups like
the antigovernment "boogaloo boys,"
of the original Black Panthers of Virginia,
of armed white civilians, some thought to be part
of a local militia called the Kenosha Guard,
patrolling the streets during Black Lives Matter protests,
and of an all-Black militia known as NFAC,
or the Not F---ing Around Coalition.
The AR-15 is America's most popular rifle.
The weapon has also become notorious
for its use in deadly mass shootings.
Yet gun experts we talked to emphasized that more often
than not, it's owned legally and responsibly.
A 2020 report from the gun industry's largest trade group
estimates that close to 20 million modern sporting rifles
like the AR-15 are in circulation,
though it's impossible to know exact numbers.
People are drawn to the AR-15 because it's so customizable.
You can swap parts or even build your own from scratch.
But if you replace its standard 16-inch barrel
with something shorter,
it turns into what's called a short-barreled rifle.
The National Firearms Act of 1934
put restrictions on weapons with shorter barrels
because they were frequently used by gang members
during Prohibition
and criticized for being easy to conceal.
Owning one now involves a more complicated
application process and a tax fee.
But we thought we saw one
here in our Lobby Day footage.
The rest of the ARs we found were normal length,
though they were modified in other ways.
This one featured a scope,
a tube with a magnifying lens to help with aim.
And this one had an optic
in a tan color described as "flat dark earth" —
a shade meant to blend in with desert surroundings.
AR-15s are also popular
because they're easier to operate than most other firearms.
In fact, they're sometimes referred to as a beginner's rifle.
But not everyone who carries one
always knows what they're doing.
At one inauguration protest we went to, this happened.
Trooper: Could you please point that down?
Man: Oh, OK, sure. Like that?
Trooper: Yes. Man: OK, there you go.
Trooper: Point it down a little bit more.
Man: More?
Trooper: I don't have a problem with you carrying it,
but I really need you to point it down.
Man: Absolutely, there you go.
Trooper: Because you're scaring the h--- out of everybody.
Narrator: You're allowed to carry a rifle out
in the open in Arizona and in 43 other states.
But basic gun safety etiquette
says to never point it
at anything you
don't intend to shoot
and to keep your finger off the trigger.
Man: How about now?
He confused me!
Trooper: Jesus Christ, man. Up or down! Do you understand?
Man: He just told me up or down.
Trooper: You just pointed it at everybody.
Man: He confused me, too.
Trooper: Flagged everyone and their mother just now.
Narrator: An American company called ArmaLite made the AR-15
in the late 1950s,
and a military version called the M16
became standard issue for US troops during the Vietnam War.
Today, some gun control advocates
say the weapon has become too accessible for everyone else.
Gunmen have used AR-15 types in most
of the recent high-profile mass shootings,
including Sandy Hook, Parkland,
and the Las Vegas massacre.
Civilians are only allowed to buy semi-automatic ARs,
meaning one pull fires one shot.
But the DIY aspect of it made it possible
for the Las Vegas shooter to turn it into something
that has been illegal for decades:
a rifle that simulates a fully automatic one,
which fires bullets nonstop
as long as you're holding the trigger.
He changed it by replacing the AR's butt stock
with a bump stock.
The Trump administration banned those two years later.
All of the rifles we identified appeared
to be semi-automatic, like this version
of the AK-47 rifle slung over the shoulder
of a boogaloo boy at a Black Lives Matter protest.
The original Soviet design from 1947
was fully automatic and meant for combat.
Reporter: Russian infantry pressing in
to hold the advantage.
Narrator: You can modify an AK as well,
but the possibilities are far more limited than with an AR.
Same with this rifle known as the HK94.
It's carried here at Lobby Day by members
of the Fred Hampton Gun Club,
a militia that trains Black people on how
to use firearms.
Made by German company Heckler and Koch,
the HK94 shoots bullets at about half the speed of an AK.
That's because it holds pistol ammunition which is meant for
close-range targets, while rifle rounds are for far ones.
So how's this gun different from a regular pistol?
Well, rifles rest on your shoulder,
whereas pistols can be fired with one hand,
which actually makes them one
of the most difficult firearms to master.
They're also harder to get.
Under federal law, you have to be 21 to buy a handgun
from a licensed dealer, compared to 18 for a long gun.
Once you have one, though, it's easy to conceal.
Still, we spotted a few in our videos,
like this one with a red dot sight to help with aim
and this one at an election protest outside
the Michigan State Capitol.
The magazine has the logo of Glock,
an Austrian manufacturer.
Its pistols are often used by law-enforcement agencies.
We also caught sight of this one
on a Black Lives Matter protester in Kentucky.
White militia members were there counterprotesting.
Many brought AR-15s.
But this man had a shotgun,
a weapon originally meant for hunting game
that can leave large wounds.
This one is a 12-gauge pump-action model.
Twelve because back when people made their own ammo,
that's how many balls could be made
from one pound of lead to fit inside the barrel.
So the larger the gauge number, the thinner the barrel.
Twelve is the most common in the US,
even though it has a pretty serious recoil.
And pump-action because after every shot,
you have to pull the forearm back
to release the empty shell, then push it forward to reload.
Our analysis here doesn't cover every kind of firearm,
nor does it represent all gun owners in America —
many of whom say that militias
and mass shootings are exceptions, not the norm.
Responsible, law-abiding people are not the ones
that should be punished.
Narrator: But in a country
where firearms outnumber people,
and where gun deaths have risen in recent years,
what these weapons can do when they're in the wrong hands
has sparked a national debate about whether they're too easy
to get, or if they should be allowed at all.
Enough is enough! Enough is enough!
Narrator: We went to the past two years of Lobby Day
in Virginia to get a sense
of where Second Amendment supporters stood.
This is your right, your freedom, your country.
God gave it to you,
and they sure as h--- ain't going to take it away.
Narrator: 2020 was a record-breaking year
for firearm sales.
USA! USA!
Narrator: And it also brought the biggest crowd
in Lobby Day's almost two-decade history.
It's great to see all these people here today
standing up for their rights that were given by God.
Narrator: More than 20,000 people showed up,
many openly armed.
Their explanation for the public display?
We walk around like this to prove a point.
Like, see, we can walk out wearing body armor
and big guns and things like that.
And nothing bad happens.
Narrator: As more Americans are becoming gun owners,
the stereotypes of who they are
and why they carry are changing.
Especially as Black men and women,
we are under attack in a lot of different ways.
So to bear arms is something we have to have.
At this rally, armed groups who sometimes show
up on opposite sides of a protest
find themselves fighting for the same thing.
Today's the day.
I will walk with any person fighting
for the Constitution, and I'll fight and die for them.
I don't give a f--- who they are.
That's what today is about.
I don't give a f---. That's what today is about.
Narrator: But the country itself seems
to grow more divided.