ORIGINAL: stubblejumper
The term "assault weapon" has no basis in military nomenclature. An assault rifle is defined as a shoulder-fired rifle, chambered in an intermediate power cartridge, capable of selective fire and fed from a detachable box magazine.
The term "assault weapon" is a recently invented legal and political term used to describe any number of firearms based on cosmetic features alone.
Google mp44,and you will find dozens and dozens,perhaps 100s of references to it being the first assault rifle.This and other weapons were referred to as assault rifles long before the politicians came up with their definition of assault rifle.Most of the weapons referred to by the media as being assault rifles are not nothing more than semi automatic rifles.
I was pointing out that there is a difference between the term "assault
weapon" and "assault
rifle". Read my post again carefully. When I say "assault rifle" that is what I mean, as opposed to an "assault weapon". My point was that there is the military term and the legal/political term, and the two are not interchangeable and only loosely related.
And yes, I am fully aware that the Sturmgewehr 44 (aka the StG44, Maschinenpistole 44, or MP-44) was the first true assault rifle adopted by a military, and I was in no way attempting to refute your statement.
Mike