Dang, beat me to it!I notice they don't have a shoulder thing that goes up.
The accurate term is "civilian version of military/police assault rifle".
Many police departments use semi-automatic ARs, so that is not always accurate.
I also don't think the M-16 or the M-4 were really ever described as an "assault rifle" anyway. They are just rifles.
I would really prefer to get away from that term of "assault rifle" at all costs. What does it mean anyway?
If I am shooting at targets, am I "assaulting" anything anyway, even if I am using an "assault rifle"? It's a term that the media loves to use because it conjures up fear and mystique.