Assault weapon

This article is about firearms restricted by some United States laws. For rifles capable of selective fire, see Assault rifle. For other uses, see Assault weapon (disambiguation).

The Colt AR-15 carbine is a semi-automatic rifle – that is, it fires one round each time the trigger is pulled – chambered for centerfire ammunition. Like most rifles defined as assault weapons, it has a detachable magazine and a pistol grip. This model also has a flash suppressor and an adjustable stock.

In the United States, assault weapon is a controversial term applied to different kinds of firearms. There is no clear, consistent definition. It can include semi-automatic firearms with a detachable magazine, a pistol grip, and sometimes other features, such as a vertical forward grip, flash suppressor, or barrel shroud. Certain firearms are specified by name in some laws that restrict assault weapons. When the now-defunct Federal Assault Weapons Ban was passed in 1994, the U.S. Department of Justice said, "In general, assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use." The commonly used definitions of assault weapons are under frequent debate, and have changed over time.

The origin of the term has been attributed to legislators, the firearms industry, gun control groups, and the media. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the term assault rifle, which refers to selective fire rifles that use intermediate cartridges. This use has been described as incorrect and a misapplication of the term. After the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, many news organizations ran stories about assault weapons, explaining their varying definitions and presenting varying opinions about whether they should be banned again at the federal level.