- Devin Patrick Kelley used a Ruger AR-556 in his attack on Sunday that killed 26 churchgoers in Sutherland Springs, Texas
- The semi-automatic weapon is considered a budget version AR-15, selling at half the price but still able to fire off 30 rounds in well under 10 seconds
The Texas man who killed 26 people and left many more injured after he opened fire in the middle of a church service on Sunday used a Ruger AR-556 to carry out the senseless massacre.
It is a semi-automatic firearm that is frequently heralded in reviews for being easy to modify and highly customize while still costing less than $800, which is half the price of most AR-15s and other military-style rifles.
That does not mean however that the gun is not just as deadly, with one video showing a young man shooting off 30 rounds on his AR-556 in just under five seconds without the aid of a bump stock or similar device.
The mass shooting at Sutherland Springs is now the latest attack to be carried out with an AR-15, which was also the weapon of choice for the gunmen in Orlando, San Bernardino, Sandy Hook, Aurora and Las Vegas.
It was not until 2004 that these firearms were even available for nationwide purchase after they fell under the restrictions created by the assault weapons ban, which when lifted in 2004 reintroduced the AR-15 and its variants to the marketplace.
Those few AR-15s that were available for purchase prior to 2004 all had a maximum magazine capacity of just 10 rounds, whereas now these weapons can be customized to hold as many as 50 rounds depending on state law.
Weapong of choice: Devin Patrick Kelley used a Ruger AR-556 (above) in his attack on Sunday that killed 26 churchgoers in Sutherland Springs, Texas
Devin Patrick Kelley purchased his Ruger AR-556 in 2016 at a San Antonio sporting good store, passing the background check after falsely stating on his form that he had no criminal history despite an arrest for domestic abuse.
He also had a Glock and Ruger handgun on him during the attack on Sunday.