What is an "Assault Weapon"?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying here. The appearance-based aspect of the “assault weapon” label definitely causes confusion for people who aren’t familiar with firearms. If someone doesn’t know the difference between bolt-action, semi-automatic, and other types of actions, it’s easy to assume that anything that looks tactical must function the same way.

That said, I think the reason lawmakers sometimes focus on those features is because they’re trying to create categories that are easier to identify for regulation. Whether or not that approach is effective is another debate, but I don’t think the intent is always just political buzzwords. Sometimes it’s just policymakers trying to simplify something that is actually very technical.

Still, I do agree that clearer terminology would probably help both sides understand what’s actually being discussed.