AR-15 is a generic term for a civilian semi-automatic rifle similar to the military M16/M4. It’s a lightweight, auto-loading, magazine-fed rifle that generally takes 30 shells. AR-15s are not fully automatic weapons. You have to pull the trigger to shoot each and every round. But you can buy kits to make them automatic (“automatic” means they’d shoot nonstop as long as the trigger was depressed until they run out of ammo). It is illegal in most states to convert a semi-auto rifle to an automatic without a permit/license, and most states have laws requiring people to register either or both of these types of guns. Law enforcement AR-15s have often carried a stamp signifying those weapons for military/police use only, but with the loosening of some of the federal restrictions on firearms, that may not be the case anymore.