Thread by @washingtonpost

“It literally can pulverize bones … it can provide this blast effect.”

The AR-15 is the weapon of choice for many mass killers. The Post sought to illustrate the lethal force of the weapon and show in detail its catastrophic effects. wapo.st/3lF9moX

The carnage is rarely visible to the public.

News accounts rely on antiseptic descriptions from law enforcement officials and medical examiners who have sometimes said remains were so unrecognizable that they could be identified only through DNA samples. wapo.st/3lF9moX

The first part of this report is a three-dimensional animation that traces the gun’s bullets from the barrel into the human body, showing the scope of the devastating impact of the weapon. wapo.st/3lF9moX

What follows is a detailed depiction showing the impact of bullets fired from AR-15s at two victims: Noah Pozner, 6, and Peter Wang, 15 — killed in school shootings when they were struck by multiple bullets. wapo.st/3lF9moX

The Post obtained autopsy reports on the two victims, and then, due to the sensitive nature of the information, sought and received the consent of the families to portray the deaths. These depictions are as precise as can be determined from the records. wapo.st/3lF9moX

“This is the trauma witnessed by first responders — but rarely, if ever, seen by the public or the policymakers who write gun laws.”

The Post determined that there is a public interest in demonstrating the destructive power of the AR-15 when used to kill. washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/03…

This account is based on a review of nearly 100 autopsy reports from multiple AR-15 shootings, court testimony and interviews with trauma surgeons, ballistics experts and a medical examiner.

Here is why the gun unleashes such devastation in the body: wapo.st/3lF9moX