Definitions for "Assault weapon"
A political/legal term variously defined in laws, ordinances, and speeches. It usually includes semiautomatic arms superficially resembling assault rifles, but is also often defined to include pistols and shotguns.
(n.) 1. A firearm capable of select-fire (q.v.) and firing an " intermediate cartridge", designed for military use. The first such assault weapons were used by the German Army in World War Two, and the name is a derivative of "Sturmgewehr," German for "assault rifle," a name created by Adolph Hitler. 2. A legal term as defined in the U.S. "Assault Weapons Ban," part of a bill enacted in 1994 which amended the Gun Control Act of 1968, 18 U.S.C. Section 922 et seq. For more details read my article "Understanding the Federal Assault weapons Ban".
a firearm that satisfies a certain set of conditions specifically designed to designate a weapon as such