assault weapon

noun

Definition of assault weapon

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

Examples of assault weapon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

New Zealand is already poised to ban assault weapons after the Christchurch attack; Americans are still waiting. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "Why New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Isn’t Breathing the Name of the Christchurch Attacker," 20 Mar. 2019 Texas voters support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons by 50-44 percent, Quinnipiac says. — Mike Ward, San Antonio Express-News, "Abbott on narrow path to school safety," 31 May 2018 So what would Graham do as governor? Step one: Get through a ban on military-style assault weapons. — refinery29.com, "Gwen Graham Is Running For Governor So That Parkland Never Happens Again," 11 May 2018 In the video shot on a cellphone by a motorist stuck in traffic, several men in ski masks and carrying assault weapons are seen struggling to shut the door on someone being pushed into an SUV before racing down a highway. — Fabiola Sanchez, The Seattle Times, "Venezuelan congress leader briefly detained amid standoff," 13 Jan. 2019 That prompted a 43 percent spike in assault weapons registration and a lawsuit by gun rights advocates, The Los Angeles Times reported in July. — Gregg Re, Fox News, "Judge strikes down 'highly paternalistic' California law banning handgun ads, slams state's 'distrust' of gun buyers," 12 Sep. 2018 The group argues that there is no such thing as a civilian assault weapon. — John Wildermuth, SFChronicle.com, "Gun rights group goes after Feinstein, which won’t bother Feinstein," 6 July 2018 In court, prosecutors said Torey G. Stockton, 21, of District Heights, Md., fired 15 rounds from a handheld assault weapon into a group of people standing outside a convenience store at 16th and U streets SE. — Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, "Judge orders man to remain in jail in connection with January fatal drive-by shooting," 28 June 2018 The Supreme Court, however, has rejected appeals raising that issue, which has the effect of upholding laws and ordinances that banned such assault weapons. — David G. Savage, latimes.com, "Judges Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett are leading candidates for Supreme Court seat," 28 June 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.

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Last Updated

31 Mar 2019

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The first known use of assault weapon was in 1966

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