Obviously, "Uzis" and "AK-47s" are, unmodified, fully automatic weapons, and their reference in this article is a blatant attempt to scare the ignorant. (Fully automatic remain under very different regulations - a class III Federal BATF license, plus complying with state and local 'regulation': reports vary, but it is in practice well-nigh impossible for a normal person to get all the licenses required for such weapons in many jurisdictions.)
The reality is that the assault weapons ban banned semi-automatic (one trigger pull = one bullet) weapons based on nothing more than shape (looks somewhat like a military weapon, a pistol that weighs more than 50 oz when unloaded), or cosmetic accessories (folding or telescoping stock or pistol grip on a rifle, a large capacity magazine).
With the exception of the magazine capacity, there is no functional effect on the 'dangerousness' between a so-called 'Assault Weapon', and it's non-assault counterpart. And a reasonably trained person can replace a magazine in less than two seconds.
It also increased the already tight restrictions of an existing ban on 'armor piercing ammunition', where the original (still in force) was "a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium." became "a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile".
just posted with the same take on reuters' slant:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1209820/posts
"... and their reference in this article is a blatant attempt to scare the ignorant."
Bingo! And there are PLENTY of people totally ignorant on this subject thanks to the antigun biased press.
You can shoot someone in the head with a .223 Ruger Ranch Rifle and it will kill them. If you do the same thing with an AR15 it will really kill them.
"Health care advocates." They couldn't win on constitutional issues, so they spin it on health care.
We're doing it for our kids, after all.
Can I take my AK out of the back of the closet now??
They know that they have lost a long time ago. This is all just a con so they can get more money.