Bushmaster XM-15 explained

Bushmaster XM-15
Origin:	United States
Type:	Semi-automatic rifle/carbine/ AR-15 style rifle
Is Ranged:	yes
Wars:	War in Iraq (2013–2017)
Manufacturer:	Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC
Weight:	8.27lb (20" barrel, without magazine) ^[1]
Length:	38.25inches (20" barrel)
Part Length:	20inches (rifle), 16inches (carbine)
Caliber:	.223 Remington / 5.56×45mm NATO
Action:	Gas operated, direct impingement
Rate:	Semi-auto^[2]
Velocity:	3260ft/s (rifle), 3100ft/s (carbine)
Range:	600yd
Max Range:	3865yd
Feed:	STANAG magazine, 30 rounds^[3]
Sights:	A2-style front post^[4]

The Bushmaster XM-15 series (or XM15^[2]) is a line of AR-15 style semi-automatic rifles and carbines manufactured by Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC.^[1] Variants include the Bushmaster M4-type Carbine, Patrolman series, QRC series, Bushmaster XM15-E2S, and the Carbon 15 line.^{[1] [4]}

Variants

The standard XM-15 has a forged 7075T6 aircraft-grade aluminum upper and lower receiver. Barrels of XM-15 firearms have a heavy profile and are hard chrome-lined 4150 alloy steel or 416 stainless steel.^{[1] [3]} In Bushmaster's 2016 sales brochure, all new-production XM-15s are stated to be supplied with a 4150 steel barrel.^[4] The standard barrel has rifling of 1 turn in 9".^[2]

• E2S Series: The basic E2S is fitted with a 16-inch carbine-style barrel.
  • E2S Target^[5] - 20" heavy-barrel target rifle with A2-style stock and carry handle upper, also available with 24" and 26" barrels.
  • E2S Shorty^[6] - 16-inch version with a "shorty" handguard.^[5]
  • E2S Shorty AK^[6] - Shorty variant with 14.5-inch carbine SBR barrel with an AK-74-style muzzle brake permanently welded to the end to increase the overall length to 16 inches.
  • E2S Dissipator^[6] - Variant with a Bushmaster-designed 16-inch "Dissipator" barrel. This mounts a false gas block with a front sight at the 20" position with the real gas block in the carbine position and concealed under a rifle-length 12" handguard.
• QRC Series: Formerly known as ORC ("optics ready carbine"), but now styled as QRC ("quick response carbine"), are flat-top rifles without iron sights, provided with a simple 1x20 red-dot optic. QRC is chambered in 5.56x45mm with a 1:8 twist melonite coated barrel, M16 style bolt carrier group & mil-spec buffer tube.
• Patrolman Series:^[5] - 7" or 10.5" barrel "pistol" version with a free-float handguard and no stock. Also available as a military or LE select-fire version.
• Bushmaster M4-Type Carbine

See main article: Bushmaster M4-type Carbine.

• Carbon 15

See main article: Carbon 15.

Notoriety

The Bushmaster XM15-E2S "M4 type" carbine first gained notoriety for its use in the October 2002 Beltway sniper attacks.^{[7] [8]}

A Bushmaster XM15-E2S carbine was displayed in a February 2011 video message by Caucasus Emirate leader, Dokka Umarov. Bushmaster rifles were captured by pro-Russian forces during the Russo-Georgian War.^[9]

A Bushmaster XM-15 was used in the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.^[10] Just before the two-year anniversary of the massacre, nine families of the 26 victims of the shooting filed a class action lawsuit in Connecticut against Bushmaster, Remington Arms and others,^[11] seeking "unspecified" damages for the defendants' purported negligent entrustment and illegal marketing of the XM-15 rifle.^[12] Plaintiffs argued that both theories of liability fell within exceptions to the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which affords broad civil immunity to gun manufacturers.^{[13] [14]} The case was dismissed in superior court and was appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court.^[15]

In March 2019, the Connecticut Supreme Court reinstated the wrongful death lawsuit, holding that the plaintiffs successfully pleaded a cause of action for illegal marketing.^[16] Remington appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which denied review on November 12, 2019.^[17] On February 15, 2022, Remington Arms insurers settled with families of Sandy Hook victims and agreed to pay a total of $73 million to families.^[18]

XM-15 rifles were also used in the 1997 North Hollywood shootout,^[19] the 2018 Nashville Waffle House shooting,^[20] and the 2022 Buffalo shooting.^[21]

An XM15-E2 was captured from Islamic State fighters in Sinjar Mountains by Peshmerga during the Iraqi Civil War.^[22]

Legality

As of October 2, 2000, California has banned the Bushmaster XM15 by name in the Kasler v. Lockyer Assault Weapon List, among other AR-style rifles by Armalite, DPMS, Colt, and Eagle Arms, to name a few.^[23]

As a result of the Sandy Hook school shooting:

• New York State banned the Bushmaster XM-15 series and assault weapons in the January 2013 NY SAFE Act.^[24]
• The XM-15 series is among over 100 named firearms added to the Connecticut state assault weapon ban list in an April 2013 amendment, passed in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting.^{[25] [26]}

Users

• Brazil: Federal Police of Brazil^[27]
• New Zealand: New Zealand Police^[28]
• Papua New Guinea^{[29] [30]}
• Poland: Used by JW GROM.^[31]

Non-state actors

• Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
• Caucasus Emirate^[9]

Notes and References

1. Book: McNab. Chris. Sporting Guns: A Guide to the World's Rifles and Shotguns. 2007. Macmillan. 978-0312368234. 173.
2. http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/FIREARMS/bushmaster_xm15.pdf Bushmaster XM15 operating manual, 1999 revision: statistics are for Bushmaster XM15-E2S
3. Web site: Bushmaster XM15 and Carbon 15 user manual, 2005 revision . 2016-07-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160811060344/https://support.bushmaster.com/01_XM-15_RIFLES/User_Manual# . 2016-08-11 . dead .
4. https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/c506ea39#/c506ea39/6 Bushmaster Firearms 2016 sales brochure
5. Book: Lee, Jerry. 2016 Standard Catalog of Firearms: The Collector's Price and Reference Guide. 29 January 2016. F+W Media, Inc.. Google Books. 9781440244414.
6. Book: Shideler, Dan. Guns Illustrated 2011: The Latest Guns, Specs & Prices. 20 August 2010. F+W Media, Inc. Google Books. 9781440216244.
7. Book: Carter. Gregg Lee. Gun Control in the United States: A Reference Handbook. 2006. ABC-CLIO. 9781851097609. 151. registration. 24 August 2016. The most infamous example is the Bushmaster ...rifle that John Allen Muhammed and John Lee Malvo use in their October 2002 Washington D.C., killing spree. .
8. News: Harrison. Judy. Colt's federal suit against rival firearm firm gets moved to Maine. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. 11 Nov 2004. Bushmaster's XM-15 E2s "M4 type" carbine allegedly was used by John Allen Muhammad and has gained notoriety as the weapon used in the Washington, D.C., area sniper shootings, according to the complaint..
9. Web site: Exotic species of the North Caucasus (Pt 2). December 21, 2021. Calibre Obscura. https://web.archive.org/web/20211222132429/https://www.calibreobscura.com/exotic-species-of-the-north-caucasus-pt-2-guest-post/. December 22, 2021.
10. News: Lysiak. Matthew. Video of Adam Lanza Confirmed as Newtown Parents Sue. 23 February 2016. Newsweek. Newsweek LLC. 23 Feb 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20230602194737/http://www.newsweek.com/sandy-hook-lawsuit-adam-lanza-429526. June 2, 2023.
11. Web site: Sandy Hook Families' Suit Against Gun Maker Will Test Federal Law. ALTIMARI. DAVE. courant.com. 2019-12-31.
12. News: Fantz. Ashley. Gun makers urge judge to toss Sandy Hook lawsuit. CNN. CNN LLC. 20 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316175321/http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/20/health/sandy-hook-newtown-gun-lawsuit/. March 16, 2023.
13. Web site: Terrill. Daniel. Remington tries for dismissal in Sandy Hook, Bushmaster case. Guns.com. 23 February 2016. 2016-02-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20230307181540/https://www.guns.com/2016/02/22/remington-lawyers-try-for-dismissal-in-sandy-hook-bushmaster-case. March 7, 2023.
14. News: Will a Gun Manufacturer Be Held Liable for Sandy Hook?. Obbie. Mark. 17 February 2016. The Atlantic. 23 February 2016. The Atlantic Monthly Group. https://web.archive.org/web/20230320143554/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/bushmaster-sandy-hook-liability/463245/. March 20, 2023.
15. News: Johnson. Alex. Fate of Sandy Hook lawsuit against gun maker could be decided by a slingshot. May 2, 2018. NBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20230324073027/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fate-sandy-hook-lawsuit-against-gun-maker-could-be-decided-n820776. March 24, 2023.
16. News: Collins . Dave . Court rules gun maker can be sued over Newtown shooting . 5 September 2019 . AP News . The Associated Press . 14 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20230310181045/https://apnews.com/article/shootings-north-america-lawsuits-us-news-ap-top-news-a4b101a04dc9469999880a61280fd0da. March 10, 2023.
17. News: Supreme Court Allows Sandy Hook Relatives to Sue Gun Maker. Hussey. Kristin. 2019-11-12. The New York Times. 2019-12-31. Williamson. Elizabeth. en-US. 0362-4331. https://web.archive.org/web/20230516202818/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/us/politics/supreme-court-sandy-hook-remington.html. May 16, 2023.
18. Web site: Sandy Hook families settle with Remington marking 1st time gun maker is held liable for mass shooting . ABC News. February 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20230310181047/https://abcnews.go.com/US/sandy-hook-families-settle-remington-marking-1st-time/story?id=82881639. March 10, 2023.
19. Web site: img1231nb.jpg. 2014-10-21. 2021-01-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20141021040601/http://www.durikgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/img1231nb.jpg. 2014-10-21.
20. News: Amir Vera . April 22, 2018 . Waffle House shooter was once arrested by Secret Service for trespassing near White House . CNN . April 26, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20230310181640/https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/04/22/us/waffle-house-shooter-white-house/index.html. March 10, 2023.
21. News: Whitlock . Craig . Willman . David . Horton . Alex . May 16, 2022 . Massacre suspect said he modified Bushmaster rifle to hold more ammunition . The Washington Post . May 16, 2022 . 0190-8286 . May 16, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220516094008/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/05/15/buffalo-shooting-gun-bought-bushmaster/ . live .
22. Book: Islamic State Weapons in Iraq and Syria: Analysis of weapons and ammunition captured from Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. https://web.archive.org/web/20230304211536/https://conflictarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Dispatch_IS_Iraq_Syria_Weapons.pdf. March 4, 2023. September 2014. Conflict Armament Research. 12–14. . Conflict Armament Research.
23. https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/firearms/infobuls/kaslist.pdf Kasler v. Lockyer Assault Weapon List
24. News: Tougher Gun Law in New York. Kaplan. Thomas. 2013-01-15. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 2016-09-14.
25. Web site: Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. https://web.archive.org/web/20180426031941/http://www.ct.gov/despp/lib/despp/slfu/firearms/assault_weapons.pdf. April 26, 2018.
26. News: Connecticut Governor Signs Gun Measures. The New York Times. 2013-04-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20230516204516/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/nyregion/connecticut-lawmakers-pass-gun-limits.html. May 16, 2023.
27. Web site: POTD: Brazilian Federal Police with Bushmaster XM15-E2S - . The Firearm Blog . 23 July 2019 . 2 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20230308074749/https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/04/02/potd-brazilian-federal-police-with-bushmaster-xm15a2/. March 8, 2023.
28. Web site: Replacement due for police rifles. https://web.archive.org/web/20230517153019/https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/1923. May 17, 2023.
29. Book: The politics of destroying surplus small arms : inconspicuous disarmament . 2010 . Alpers, Philip . 978-0-415-49461-8 . 168–169 .
30. Book: Under the gun : the small arms challenge in the Pacific . 2003 . Victoria University Press in association with the Peace and Disarmament Education Trust . 9780864734532 . 64–65.
31. Web site: Fot. 12. 5,56-mm kbk M4A1 firmy Bushmaster (XM-15-E2S) z 40-mm granatnikiem... - Ireneusz Chloupek Special-Ops.pl - Portal Ludzi Akcji . Special-Ops.pl - Portal Ludzi Akcji . 23 July 2019 . pl. https://web.archive.org/web/20190723182910/http://www.special-ops.pl/artykul-galeria/id534%2Carsenal-grom-1%3Fgal%3D1&zdjecie%3D4862. July 23, 2019.