The church in Newfoundland, Pa., was founded by the son of the late Korean Rev. Sun Myung Moon, but is an offshoot of the worldwide Unification movement.
The semi-automatic rifle has been in wide circulation for more than a half-century. In recent years, gunmen have used AR-15-style weapons to carry out many of the country's worst mass shootings.
A judge is considering whether a suit filed by family members of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims can proceed. The plaintiffs argue that the rifle should not have been sold to civilians.
Semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15 and SIG Sauer MCX, which was used in the Orlando shooting, are no longer banned nationally. States, though, are finding success in passing laws restricting them.
The AR-15 has been the weapon of choice in some recent high-profile mass killings. It shoots accurately and tends to come with a high-capacity magazine.
The companies had sought to dismiss the lawsuit filed by nine victims' families and a survivor over the AR-15 rifle used in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.