This question is based on a false premise. Neither the Colt AR-15, nor the ArmaLite AR-15 have ever been used “on battlefields”.
I think it’s based on “AR-15” being both a trademark describing specific products and a design pattern for a family of firearms where most components interchange between different manufacturers and models.
The US military M16 rifle and M4 carbine Are AR-15-pattern firearms, and military sales represented the bulk of early sales.
Of course the main difference being that AR15s are semi auto, and M16s and m4s are select fire with an option for full auto or burst, y’know, the thing that is actually functionally different but everyone wants to pretend they don’t understand that to make the gun involved in .2% of gun deaths a year more scary so they can drum up support for a ban.
I think it’s based on “AR-15” being both a trademark describing specific products and a design pattern for a family of firearms where most components interchange between different manufacturers and models.
The US military M16 rifle and M4 carbine Are AR-15-pattern firearms, and military sales represented the bulk of early sales.
Of course the main difference being that AR15s are semi auto, and M16s and m4s are select fire with an option for full auto or burst, y’know, the thing that is actually functionally different but everyone wants to pretend they don’t understand that to make the gun involved in .2% of gun deaths a year more scary so they can drum up support for a ban.