While the term “assault weapons” has long been used globally to describe a broad variety of military and non-military weapons, those weapons were not defined by specific characteristics in America’s legal system until Congress approved the AWB
The Basis for an Assault Weapon Classification
Most nations do not use the term “assault weapon” to classify civilian weaponry. In the United States, the term was rarely used before gun control political efforts emerged in the 1980s. In 1989, California became the first U.S. state to identify and outlaw assault weapons.
Also in 1989, the U.S. prohibited several types of semi-automatic rifles from being imported. Those rifles were among the weapons that would eventually be banned by the AWB in 1994. Many of them were a version of the Russian military’s AK-47.
Several thousand of those semi-automatic rifles, which were manufactured in China, had been purchased by American gun owners.
The term “assault weapon” was a spin-off of the U.S. military’s definition of assault rifles.
The U.S. Department of Defense has long defined assault rifles as fully automatic rifles used for military purposes.
Fully-automatic weapons have been prohibited in the U.S. since the National Firearms Act of 1934. Fully-automatic firearms can spray fire with a single pull of the trigger, while semi-automatic guns fire one shot with each pull of the trigger.
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In general, the AWB defined any firearm with a detachable magazine and at least two of certain other characteristics as an assault weapon.
For rifles, those characteristics included:
- Telescoping stock
- Pistol grip
- Bayonet mount
- Grenade launcher
- Flash suppressor
For shotguns:
- Telescoping stock
- Pistol grip
- A capacity to hold more than five rounds
For handguns:
- Threaded barrels made to attach a barrel extender, handgrip or flash suppressor
- A barrel shroud that can be used as a handhold
- Weight of at least 50 oz. when unloaded