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The Colt AR-15 looked more like a laser blaster than dad’s trusty rifle when it hit the market in 1964.
It was made from aluminum and plastic, not the heavier metals and wood used in traditional firearms. Its cartridges were tiny compared with typical hunting ammunition. And it was all black — a dour monochrome far from the rich walnut accentuating many guns at the time.
American Icon
A series examining the AR-15, a weapon with a singular hold on a divided nation
In short, the AR-15 presented a litany of challenges for those tasked with trying to sell it.
Many gun enthusiasts and industry executives were initially skeptical that an offshoot of a weapon originally designed for combat could sell in a marketplace focused on extolling the virtues of rifles for hunting and handguns for self-defense.
But in the ensuing decades, the AR-15 would become a powerful symbol for whoever invoked it, from gun-control advocates decrying it as a preferred tool for mass killers to gun owners who championed it as the pinnacle of Second Amendment rights.
Through it all, the gun also became a point of emphasis for gun companies that turned to tactical weapons as an emerging and lucrative market.
An examination of the ads used to sell the AR-15, from the 1960s until today, reveals how the gun industry followed social and cultural changes as it sought to broaden the appeal of an unusually polarizing consumer product.
This analysis is based on a review of more than 400 advertisements, catalogue entries, brochures, social media posts and other messages produced by gun manufacturers and ad agencies. Many of the ads appeared in gun-oriented publications, including American Rifleman and Guns & Ammo — and some have been cited over the years in lawsuits and Federal Trade Commission complaints filed by victims of gun crimes or their families. The Washington Post sought additional analysis from experts on the intersection of marketing and culture.
The ads show how an industry attuned to public opinion across the decades, particularly among its heavily conservative customer base, has heralded the AR-15 as a weekend toy, an effective tool for hunting and home defense, and an expression of masculine energy — at times, all at once. Frequent images of police and soldiers wielding tactical rifles in the field urged civilian buyers to, as one ad put it, “use what they use.”
Unless otherwise noted, gunmakers whose ads appear in this story did not respond to requests for comment.
A modest debut
The industry’s initial advertising messages often sought to portray the AR-15 as an enhancement for hunters and others who used their guns for recreation.
The earliest ad reviewed by The Post was a 1964 clipping from Guns magazine in which Colt pitched its AR-15 Sporter.
The ad suggested “this is part of what you already do,” said Grant Reeher, a political science professor and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at Syracuse University, who is at work on a book about gun politics and culture.
“… you’re ready for a new hunting adventure.”
“… weighs only six pounds.”
“If you’re a hunter, camper, or collector …”
“… you’re ready for a new hunting adventure.”
“… weighs only six pounds.”
“If you’re a hunter, camper, or collector …”
1964, Colt (Guns magazine)
- “… you’re ready for a new hunting adventure.”
- “… weighs only six pounds.”
- “If you’re a hunter, camper or collector …”
The focus on hunting was premature, Reeher said. Early rifles were inaccurate for varmint hunting, and the newly developed .223 cartridge was too slight for bigger game. The rifle did not yet have an identity. One had to be crafted.
Colt was “fumbling around, looking for the angle to take,” Reeher said.
Yet soon after launch, Colt would get a boost of legitimacy from the Vietnam War. The company’s AR-15 was the civilian variant of the M16 rifle, which the U.S. military adopted as its service rifle, and the conflict helped popularize both weapons.
“Now you can buy a hot new combat rifle for sport,” Popular Science wrote in early 1965, welcoming the new AR-15.
Despite reliability problems of the M16 voiced by soldiers in the late 1960s that triggered congressional inquiries, Colt and other companies continued to highlight the AR-15’s military progeny as a growing part of the weapon’s cultural identity.
“The Sporter looks like, feels like, and performs like its military cousin,” Colt said in a 1977 brochure.
Common themes in early advertising of the AR-15 included hunting, “varmint control” and highlighting the weapon’s military pedigree.
Hover on (or tap and hold) image to zoom
1977, Colt (Colt catalogue)
- “… looks like, feels like, and performs like its military cousin.”
- “… used efficiently for both varmint control and hunting.”
1985, Colt (American Rifleman magazine
)
- “For a rancher …”
- “… battle proven …”
- “… as accurate as it is dependable.”
1993, Colt (“1993 New Products Tri-fold” brochure)
Note: This rifle is built on the AR platform but is chambered in a caliber larger than typical AR-15s.
- “… game-getting power …”
- “… shrugs off the abuses of brush and boulders …”
- “… hunting companion.”
End of carousel
Promoted as protector
As public concerns about crime mounted in the 1980s and 1990s, manufacturers drifted from a focus on hunting and outdoor imagery to emphasizing self-defense and law enforcement themes. The shift coincided with moves by numerous states to expand the rights of residents to carry concealed weapons, helping transform gun culture into one centered on personal protection, studies have shown.
AR-15 marketers started to adjust their depiction of what was on the receiving end of the barrel.
“People, rather than animals, were the target,” Reeher said. “That allows it to be sold more as a self-defense weapon, particularly inside the home.”
“… family of weapons used by law enforcement and military forces …”
“… eliminates hours of training and familiarization …”
“… family of weapons used by law enforcement and military forces …”
“… eliminates hours of training and familiarization …”
1985, Colt (Colt Catalog)
- “… family of weapons used by law enforcement and military forces …”
- “… eliminates hours of training and familiarization …”
While police officers became a fixture in AR-15 ads, gunmakers also chose images that suggested professional-grade weapons were necessary for civilians seeking protection from violent crime.
One print ad for Stag Arms rifles spoke to police and prospective buyers. “When you go Stag, you’re not alone,” it read, showing what appears to be a nighttime crime scene.
According to experts, police imagery has the additional effect of conferring increased legitimacy.
“It signals the practical benefit to the consumer and the sort of symbolic benefit,” said Aimee Huff, an associate professor at Oregon State University specializing in marketing and gun culture.
Gunmakers increasingly focused ads on self-defense and depictions of law enforcement as crime became a bigger public issue.
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2008, Smith & Wesson (Guns & Ammo magazine)
2010, Smith & Wesson (American Rifleman magazine)
- “Tested. Proven. Selected.”
- “… proving itself by winning department testing and evaluations across the country.”
- “… tactical advantage …”
2008, Stag Arms (Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement magazine)
- “When your life depends on it …”
- “… you’re never alone.”
End of carousel
A second chance
The 2004 expiration of the federal assault weapons ban, which for 10 years had prohibited the sale of many AR-15s, gave the gun industry a chance for a reinvention. Some manufacturers, seeking to reintroduce the AR-15, latched on to tactical imagery and phrasing, inventing jargon along the way.
“The introduction of distinctive colors and patterns, decorative handguards, and models like Panther Arms’ ‘Sportical,’ which incorporated multiple features that appeal to sport shooters buying their first AR, are all examples of efforts to differentiate from the competition,” said Michelle Barnhart, an associate professor who researches gun culture and marketing at Oregon State University.
Other companies boasted about their ability to shape their products, such as the now-defunct Sabre Defence, which said in a 2008 print ad that “we don’t simply assemble our rifles, we also craft key pieces that go into them.”
“It’s one of the ways Sabre Defence stood out from its competition,” said Sarah Mota, the director of operations at New Empire Industries, the company that acquired Sabre’s holdings.
After the expiration of the federal assault weapons ban, gunmakers tried to capture new customers by showcasing the AR-15’s multiple potential uses while also marketing at times to women.
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2011, DPMS Panther Arms (American Rifleman magazine)
- “Resist convention. Resist the norm.”
- “… attractive yet stealthy camo-finished …”
2008, DPMS Panther Arms (Guns & Ammo magazine)
- “Sportical”
- “Whether you are buying your first AR rifle, or need an affordable yet accurate plinking gun …”
- “Built to bridge the gap between the Sporting and Tactical markets … ”
2008, Sabre (Guns & Ammo magazine)
- “Shoot. Admire. Repeat.”
- “… we also craft …”
- “… flawless …”
2013, Colt (American Rifleman magazine)
- “… custom hydro-dipped graphics and patterns.”
- “… unlike anything else on the market.”
- “Muddy girl camo”
2017, Springfield Armory (American Rifleman magazine)
- “Our legacy is helping you protect yours.”
- “Built for the free and independent …”
- “… the next generation …”
End of carousel
Gun advertising in the last decade and a half has also increased its focus on capturing the female shooter market. Often that would include a twist on traditional gender associations, like Colt’s pink hue that it coined “muddy girl camo.”
The turn has been apparent in recent years at National Rifle Association conventions, Barnhart said. “The exhibition floor included an abundance of promotional imagery featuring women wielding AR-15-style rifles,” she said.
In the shadow of war
The sunset of the assault weapons ban in 2004 allowed another way to channel military valorization unleashed by the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, prompting gunmakers and accessory companies to add tactical appeal to their wares, Huff said. Austere combat environments became common backdrops in ads for AR-15s and accessories, and rifles once sold almost exclusively in black became available in desert tan and foliage green.
The bearded commando decked out in tactical gear emerged as a potent pop culture image, playing a central role in video games like the Call of Duty series and box office smashes like “Lone Survivor.”
In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, gunmakers marketed the gun with nationalistic vocabulary and military lexicon.
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2011, Sig Sauer (American Rifleman magazine)
Note: This rifle has many of the AR-15’s design characteristics but uses a piston operating system, rather than a typical gas impingement.
- “… I’ll answer the call.”
- “When failure is not an option …”
2012, Sig Sauer (American Rifleman magazine)
- “… accurate and reliable …”
- “When it counts”
2017, Mossberg (American Rifleman magazine)
- “Stand and salute the tactical rifles”
- “… family-owned …”
- “American built. American strong.”
End of carousel
“It’s no accident that when you get to the 2000s, you’re seeing people in uniform over and over again,” Reeher said. The Special Operations raid to kill Osama bin Laden in 2011 was a key moment in the development, and after that, “everybody wanted to be a Navy SEAL.”
Gunmakers seized on the fantasy. In 2012, Daniel Defense produced an ad featuring a short-barreled rifle using a rail system for attaching accessories that the company says is designed for Special Operations Command.
“… military adopted …”
“Whether you are patrolling a foreign land, the city streets, or your own home …”
“Always made in the USA”
“… military adopted …”
“Whether you are patrolling a foreign land, the city streets, or your own home …”
“Always made in the USA”
2012, Daniel Defense (Daniel Defense’s Facebook)
- “… military-adopted …”
- “Whether you are patrolling a foreign land, the city streets, or your own home …”
- “Always made in the USA”
The advertisement then links the AR-15 with the country’s overseas wars, showing how a weapon first described as a hunter’s tool was now being presented as the everything rifle.
“Whether you are patrolling a foreign land, the city streets, or your own home,” the ad said, “your rifle can’t let you down.”
A message of masculinity
Bushmaster presented a problem and a solution for men concerned about evolving notions of gender when it launched its ad campaign: “Consider your man card reissued.”
The advertisement, which ran in magazines including the men’s publication Maxim, is notable for the placement of the rifle itself. Firearms in ads are typically shown flat with the barrel pointing in an innocuous direction, Huff said. But in this ad, the rifle is canted toward the audience and pointed left, positioning that, according to Huff, suggests conflict.
“The text and the imagery clearly signal power and vaguely implicate some enemy that the gun user needs to employ their masculinity against,” Huff said.
“If it’s good enough for the professional, it’s good enough for you …”
“If it’s good enough for the professional, it’s good enough for you …”
2009, Bushmaster (Maxim magazine)
- “If it’s good enough for the professional, it’s good enough for you.”
The ad drew widespread scrutiny in 2012 after a gunman slaughtered 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., using a Bushmaster like the one in the image. It became a centerpiece exhibit in a lawsuit against Bushmaster owner Remington Arms filed by the families of survivors that challenged how it marketed guns. The company settled for $73 million in 2022.
Other advertisements tapped into masculinity in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Smith & Wesson declared its M&P 15-22 could help you “kick brass” and save money firing the more economical .22 cartridge.
Self-defense and defending loved ones are keystone desires for many gun owners, said Barnhart, with Oregon State. That often translates to a traditional social norm of men as strong protectors shepherding family values, she said.
In a social media post published by Daniel Defense in May, a child holds an AR-15-style pistol in his lap as an arm wearing what appears to be a man’s watch — presumably that of a father — gestures to him. An ammunition magazine is nearby. The caption, taken from a Bible verse, reads: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
The ad could be interpreted as “you need to teach this kid how to use this firearm so he can defend himself in the future,” Barnhart said.
Daniel Defense was widely criticized for the image, which was tweeted a week before a gunman used one of the company’s rifles to carry out a massacre at a school in Uvalde, Tex., killing 21. The company took the ad down soon after. Marty Daniel, who last month stepped down as the chief executive of Daniel Defense, told lawmakers in July that the post meant to convey gun safety. “We took it down because children had just been killed and we didn’t think it was appropriate,” he said.
Even some gun advocates may have felt the inclusion of a child went too far, Reheer said.
“There is a lot going on with this one, for people to despise and like,” he said.
