assault weapon

noun

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Definition of assault weapon

: any of various automatic or semiautomatic firearms; especially : assault rifle

Recent Examples of assault weapon from the Web

He didn’t get worked up as the young state representative, Mike Kennedy, attacked him for signing an assault weapons ban as governor of Massachusetts and imposing an individual mandate that forced people to buy health insurance, a.k.a.

— james hohmann, BostonGlobe.com, "The Daily 202: Mitt Romney threads the needle on Trump in Utah Senate debate," 31 May 2018
Young said the change was the result of his attempt to bring an assault weapons ban to the Assembly floor.

— patrick marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Supreme Moore Omokunde to run for Wisconsin Legislature; Rep. Leon Young stepping down," 23 May 2018
Studies on assault weapons bans have generally ranged from inconclusive to unfavorable toward a ban.

— german lopez, Vox, "The Santa Fe High School shooting shows why an assault weapons ban can’t solve America’s gun problem," 21 May 2018
He's campaigned on his support for single-payer health care and a statewide assault weapons ban.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "Progressive surge on display in Ohio's Cordray-Kucinich primary," 8 May 2018
At issue: an assault weapons ban passed unanimously last month by six trustees and the mayor.

— shibani mahtani, WSJ, "Does This Illinois Town Have the Country’s Toughest Gun Law?," 19 Apr. 2018
Kopser supports an assault weapons ban and wants to establish universal background checks.

— jasper scherer, San Antonio Express-News, "Joseph Kopser’s path to victory in CD-21: Focus on what we have in common," 15 May 2018
Almost two-thirds approved of limiting the sale of assault weapons.

— seth a. richardson, cleveland.com, "Mike DeWine, Richard Cordray up in new BWU poll of governor's race," 3 May 2018
Banning the sale of assault weapons wins support from 62 percent of adults overall but elicits sharper divisions between partisans and households with and without guns at home.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Poll finds support for new gun laws is stronger than after Sandy Hook shooting," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assault weapon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.