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What does "AR" in "AR-15" stand for? VETSAlutes founder Christopher Wipper's tweet about the "assault rifle" sparks a debate online

A video of an AR-15 shooting at a mannequin is going viral on social media, and here's why:
posted by Akanksha Mishra
Wednesday 12/24/2025 at 6:09AM EST
  • Photograph of US Corporal William Ring using an SA80 A2 assault rifle during the British Royal Marine Operational Shooting Competition held at Altcar Training Camp, Hightown, England, May 14, 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
    Photograph of US Corporal William Ring using an SA80 A2 assault rifle during the British Royal Marine Operational Shooting Competition held at Altcar Training Camp, Hightown, England, May 14, 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

    On Wednesday, December 24, Christopher Wipper posted a slow-motion video clip of what he claimed to be an AR-15 shooting a mannequin, which was blown into pieces upon impact. 

    Criticizing the gun as a "weapon of mass destruction," Wipper wrote that it was an abbreviation for "Assault Rifle" in the caption. The tweet, which has since gone viral with more than 1 million views, has also triggered a debate into what "AR" in an AR-15 actually stands for.​

    A majority of comments on the tweet claimed that "AR" stood for "ArmaLite Rifle," named after the company that manufactures it. The rifle is a semi-automatic based on a design that's similar to the Colt AR-15. A rifle closely related to the M16 and M4 cabrine rifles, it is commonly confused for being called "Assault Rifle" or "Automatic Rifle".

    How netizens reacted to AR

    Here are some of those comments:

    "Armalite Rifle is what AR stands for. If you have X then you have Grok and you can publish facts instead of propaganda. But here is one additional fact for you. Touch my family in my home, and your video will be exactly accurate." -  commented an X user.
    "AR stands for ArmaLite Rifle. A Standard AR-15 can only fire 3 rounds per second. Stop trying to confuse people" - added another.
    "That is an awfully big Lie. An AR rifle refers to a type of semi-automatic rifle known as the 'ArmaLite Rifle,' named after the company that developed it in the 1950s. The most popular model is the AR-15, which is widely used for various purposes, including hunting and sport shooting." -  wrote a third one.
    "AR stands for Armalite Rifle. Full auto guns are illegal. You don't know what you're talking about." - replied a fourth netizen.
    "Note it’s “Armalite rifle” as in the rifle Armalite developed and built. Just like Colt rifle or browning rifle doesn’t mean CR and BR make any sense. English isn’t your first language is it?" - tweeted a fifth user.

    Christopher Wipper is the founder of a nonprofit organization named VETSalutes - which works towards empowering army veterans with both faith and finance.

    Wipper himself also took the comments section, first with a GIF which symbolized a joke going over the head of a person. In a subsequent comment, the founder mentioned his surprise at everyone taking his tweet literally instead of the sarcasm that it was. 

     

    TOPICS: Christopher Wipper, AR-15, assault rifle