"What Is an Assault Weapon?"
So 'now we can defend ourselves from repressive government,' right? More realistically, I predict, a small number of gun-happy individuals will find odd erotic satisfaction in shooting these weapons. It's good to know this country has its priorities in order.
Anyway, this article defines what types of guns actually fell under the recently-expired ban. Pretty interesting.
Excerpts:
For starters, consumers can now purchase one of the 19 firearms specifically outlawed by the 1994 ban, including such action-movie staples as the Uzi, the TEC-9, the Kalashnikov, and the Street Sweeper shotgun. ...
On top of the Big 19, the ban also included a few formulas for forbidding less well-known armaments. A semiautomatic rifle was considered an illicit assault weapon, for example, if it featured a detachable magazine, as well as at least two of...: a folding or telescopic stock; a conspicuous pistol grip; a bayonet mount; a flash suppressor...; or a grenade launcher. ...
[G]un enthusiasts will still have a difficult time purchasing machine guns, which keep firing as long as the trigger is depressed. ... [I]n 1986, the Firearms Owners' Protection Act outright prohibited the ownership of new machine guns; the only ones that may now be in private arsenals are those that were manufactured prior to the act's passage.
Anyway, this article defines what types of guns actually fell under the recently-expired ban. Pretty interesting.
Excerpts:
For starters, consumers can now purchase one of the 19 firearms specifically outlawed by the 1994 ban, including such action-movie staples as the Uzi, the TEC-9, the Kalashnikov, and the Street Sweeper shotgun. ...
On top of the Big 19, the ban also included a few formulas for forbidding less well-known armaments. A semiautomatic rifle was considered an illicit assault weapon, for example, if it featured a detachable magazine, as well as at least two of...: a folding or telescopic stock; a conspicuous pistol grip; a bayonet mount; a flash suppressor...; or a grenade launcher. ...
[G]un enthusiasts will still have a difficult time purchasing machine guns, which keep firing as long as the trigger is depressed. ... [I]n 1986, the Firearms Owners' Protection Act outright prohibited the ownership of new machine guns; the only ones that may now be in private arsenals are those that were manufactured prior to the act's passage.
// 9/16/2004 
