Dear Al, what the hell is an assault weapon?
Okay, I’ll play along in the role of Captain Obvious.
An “assault weapon†is a term of art used in politics. It’s purpose is to convey the nefarious intent of this particular inanimate object, as opposed to, say, a pistol that a policeman might carry. That weapon (in reality having greater stopping power than the assault weapon under discussion) would instead be referred to as the friendlier sounding, indeed, the benevolent sounding peace keeper or side arm, or perhaps service revolver (before being replaced by semi automatics in most departments).
The method is simple, yet effective: demonize the tool you as a politician wish to ban, convince voters that this tool is only used for one purpose, to kill innocent bystanders (an assault), and voilà , pollsters can then document that the people agree with you! After all, no one, not even voters, would ever want to be “assaulted.â€