Media Matters wrote up the complete history of assault rifles. It’s worth checking out. It’s especially worth noting that assault rifles were developed as weapons of war — designed to hunt and kill people. Obviously.
Oh, and this:
1989: President George H.W. Bush uses executive action to ban the importation of foreign-made semi-automatic assault weapons, directing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to only allow the importation of firearms “generally recognized as particularly suitable for, or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.”
May 1994: Former presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter write a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging the enactment of an assault weapons ban. In the letter, the former presidents write, “This is a matter of vital importance to the public safety … We urge you to listen to the American public and to the law enforcement community and support a ban on the further manufacture of these weapons.”
Why did Republican presidents Reagan, Ford and Bush hate America?