The gun found in the car of Lewiston mass shooting suspect Robert R. Card II was a Ruger SFAR rifle, police confirmed Monday.
The big game rifle was found in Card’s vehicle, but forensic and ballistic testing is still pending, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said.
When Card, 40, of Bowdoin was found dead Friday night, he had with him a Smith & Wesson M&P .40 caliber handgun and a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle, she said. Testing will show if the guns were used in the crimes, she said.
Card allegedly fatally shot 18 people and injured 13 more at two Lewiston spots, a bowling alley and a bar, Wednesday night. His car was found later that evening at a boat launch in Lisbon.
The Ruger SFAR is “Bigger and stronger where it needs to be and remains smaller and lighter than comparable .308-sized rifles,” Ruger’s website said. It won 2023 Rifle of the Year in the Industry Choice Awards.
The SFAR, or small-frame autoloading rifle, sells for $1,329 and comes with a 16.1- or 20-inch barrel, per the website.
Smith & Wesson’s M&P 15 is an AR-15 style, semi-automatic rifle. The gun manufacturer unveiled the model, its first AR-15, to the public in February 2006, according to a Washington Post story that explores how the AR-15 came to dominate the marketplace.
While the gun’s name indicated it was for professionals, “M” for military and “P” for police, Smith & Wesson always had its eyes on the consumer market, according to corporate filings and statements from executives that the newspaper obtained.
“Smith & Wesson reported revenue from this line of tactical rifles more than quintupled in the gun’s first five full years on the market — from $12.8 million to $75.1 million,” the Washington Post wrote. “Other big gunmakers soon followed Smith & Wesson’s lead.”
BDN writer Valerie Royzman contributed to this story.