Part of the problem is there is no real definition of an "assault weapon" that is consistent. An SKS is used in a drive by, everybody calls it an AK or assault rifle from the cops to the DA, sounds more menacing to a jury. Look at the AR15, in full pre-1994 AW ban regalia it is an AW under that law. Change the name to "Sporter", hack off the bayo lug and flash hider and ya got a "not an AW" rifle under that same law. Yet the gun itself has not changed from a functional standpoint. Take a Ruger Mini 14 and put a folder stock on it, AW under the ban. Leave it in the factory wood, not an AW. Now how can the FBI, from a police report summary, know what type of gun was used in a particular crime beyond the general rifle/shotgun/handgun categories?
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