American gun manufacturers were accused of “putting profits over people” on Wednesday, following a US House of Representatives investigation that found the firms made more than $1 billion in sales from AR-15-style weapons over the past decade.
The investigation by the US House Oversight Committee comes as a series of high-profile mass shootings have horrified the nation: 10 people were killed in a racist attack at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and 19 children were murdered at a primary school in Uvalde, Texas, in May.
Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the US House Oversight Committee, said during a hearing with gun industry executives that AR-15-style rifles are “altered deadly [weapons] engineered to kill enemy soldiers on the battlefield”.
“Yet the gun industry has flooded our neighbourhoods, our schools and even our churches and synagogues with these deadly weapons,” she said.
“In short, the gun industry is profiting off the blood of innocent Americans.”
The committee's investigation found that three gun manufacturers — Daniel's Defence, Ruger's and Smith and Wesson's — either doubled or tripled their revenue in recent years, even as the number of mass shootings increased in the US.
The committee also claimed that gun makers use “dangerous marketing tactics” to sell assault weapons and have not taken steps to analyse deaths or injuries caused by their products.
While industry executives expressed sympathy over mass shootings, they argued that such atrocities are committed by criminals and not firearms.
“I believe our nation's response needs to focus not on the type of gun but on the type of person who are likely to commit mass shootings,” Marty Daniel, chief executive of Daniel's Defence, told the committee.
Watch: Chicago residents tell of shooting horror
Christopher Killoy, chief executive of Ruger's, echoed Mr Daniel's sentiments.
“A firearm, any firearm, can be used for good or evil. The difference is in the intent of the individual possessing it,” he told the panel.
Mark Smith, chief executive of Smith & Wesson, refused to attend the hearing. Ms Maloney said she would seek to subpoena documents from the company's executives.
The committee's investigation is part of an effort by Democratic members of Congress and President Joe Biden to push for stricter gun laws, including a potential vote later this week on banning assault-style weapons.
Such legislation is likely to fail in the Senate, where views on gun rights and the Second Amendment are sharply divided along party lines.
The Democrat-led bill would be the party's most significant action on guns in decades and would certainly be more aggressive than the modest bipartisan package signed into law earlier this year.
Democrats renewed efforts to enact stricter measures after a shooting at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, left seven people dead.
Two thirds of Americans believe that gun laws in the US should be stricter, a recent Gallup Poll showed. Fifty-five per cent of respondents supported a ban on assault-style weapons and 92 per cent were in favour of background checks.
More than 370 mass shootings have been reported in the US this year, the Gun Violence Archive reported. Sixteen of those incidents have been mass murders.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Scoreline
Syria 1-1 Australia
Syria Al Somah 85'
Australia Kruse 40'
Total eligible population
About 57.5 million people
51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not
Where are the unvaccinated?
England 11%
Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14%
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
SPECS
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
