“Hmmmm ..?? There is NO SUCH THING as an “asault rifle”.
Here in moronic California an “assault rifle” is categorized by what “it looks like.”
Since ordinary citizens don’t get to own fully automatic rifles, the morons here have legislated as “assault rifles,” anything that looks similar to rifles carried by the military. You can own an AR-15 provided that the mag is attached and it doesn’t have a “pistol grip” as I recall, but functionally, it’s no different than a semi auto “sporting version” of the same gun. As I said, they are morons who are simply looking for any artifice to deny citizens their right to a weapon of their choice.
I agree with your premise. It’s just an attempt to take our guns away.