EXPRESS: Implied Uses of Modern Sporting Rifles in Manufacturers’ Print Advertising

The deadliest mass shootings in the U.S. are increasingly carried out with modern sporting rifles (MSRs, also known as “AR-15 style” or “assault-style” rifles). Recent lawsuits, complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and congressional action have implicated a small number of specific MSR manufacturers’ advertising in mass shootings and other unlawful use of MSRs. We investigate 90 MSR manufacturers’ print advertisements from 2012 through 2024 (n = 574 ads) to identify MSR uses implied. We find that 38% of ads did not imply a use, 23% implied legal civilian uses, 13% implied an ambiguous use, and 26% implied offensive use against another person inconsistent with legal self-defense. Critical visual analysis of offensive use ads revealed three categories: military use, paramilitary use, and use against a human target conjured by the reader. We identify ways that offensive use ads violate the American Marketing Association’s code of ethics and suggest new industry and public policy to prohibit the most serious transgressions. We contribute an empirically based understanding of the nature and industry-wide frequency of unethical advertising by MSR manufacturers, some of which may foster gun violence and/or be deceptive or unfair.