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What Gun Was Used In The Germany Shooting?

On Thursday, more violence around the world was reported, this time near Frankfurt in Veirnheim, Germany. According to Bild, a shooter entered a cinema complex and held hostages. At this time, details are still coming in, but per Reuters, there are reports from local German media that the gunman has been shot dead by authorities. At first, many outlets reported up to 50 people had been injured, but soon after, The AP reported that there are "no serious injuries." A lot is unknown at the moment, but I'm sure many are wondering what gun was used in the Viernheim, Germany shooting.

According to Hesse state interior minister Peter Beuth (via BBC), "The police had an emergency call at 2:45pm [12:45 GMT]. The caller said there was a masked man... armed with a long gun. It is unclear whether it was a real gun." Per The Telegraph, Beuth also responded to reports that the weapon was a "gas or stun gun." Again, he said police cannot confirm any details about the weapon, including if it is a "genuine firearm," as The Telegraph puts it. There are also several reports tear gas may have been involved, as well.

During the December San Bernardino and the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, an AR-15 was used. As for the Orlando shooting in June at Pulse nightclub, contrary to what was originally thought, an AR-15 was not used, but a Sig Sauer MCX was. That said, the two weapons are aesthetically similar. Similarly, during the November 2015 Paris attacks, AK-47 rifles were used. As for the March 2016 attacks in Belgium, Belgian police suspected the airport attacker used a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Though it may not be the case with Veirnheim, when it comes to mass shootings, it appears semiautomatic rifles are the weapons of choice.