Quoth Dave Hardy:
So what is the origin of the idea that there is such a thing as a “semiautomatic assault rifle,” and that it is somewhere especially dangerous? Back in the 1990s, the Violence Policy Center, an antigun group, issued a report that proposed making such rifles a focus, because in the popular mind they were easily confused with fully automatic firearms. It essentially proposed a public relations campaign based on deception.
An attack on recognized constitutional rights, based upon deception and taking advantage of mistaken popular impressions, seems questionable to anyone who holds a commitment to the Constitution. Let us go into more detail.